It isn’t often that I can get my partner in life, in crime, in pandemic, whatever, out of the house these days. We’ve gotten awful comfortable staying in. But I did get him out last weekend, to see ‘Dracula’ as performed by Southern Arc Dance Company at the Wadsworth, in Newnan.

Southern Arc is, to me, a bit of a small miracle. How did a world class ballet artist like Paulo Mansa de Sousa wind up in a little community? Guess what: the answer is, Love.

Paulo is choreographer here, and did a splendid job. His principal dancers – Derrick Smith as Dracula, Alexis Aria as Mina and Myles Jones as Jonathan – were magnificent, creating vivid imagery that told this old story in ways fresh and inspiring.

Costumes by Marybeth Kepshire were wonderful. Lighting, less so: far too often transitions that should have been fades were binary – on/off. Maybe that’s one of the limitations of the Wadsworth; I just don’t know. It’s a tricky space to stage theatre or dance, having a small stage and virtually no backstage. Great acoustics, yes, but…

Fog. Lots and lots of fog. A perfect outing for a spooky fall evening. Kudos to Southern Arc, their families and supporters, and the Newnan Cultural Arts Commission.