About

Wei DongSheng

To Atlanta Ballet lovers, he is a household name. To those Atlantans who would not necessarily call themselves ballet lovers, many are still familiar with his work, if not his face -- even if it is painted a haunting grey for his role as Dracula.
Wei DongSheng is celebrating his fourteenth year with Atlanta Ballet. For years, his image has been on countless posters, flyers, advertisements and magazine covers around town as not only the face of Dracula, but also in roles for Peter Pan, Romeo + Juliet and Shed Your Skin: The Indigo Girls Project.
Born in China, Wei started dancing at the Beijing Dance Academy in 1979. He went on to perform as a principal dancer with Central Ballet of China for five years. Audiences in more than 70 cities throughout China have been awed by his talent. In 1988 he was ranked as the number one artist in his home country. Shortly after that, he made a guest appearance with the Philippines Ballet Theater. He is now recognized as one of Atlanta's premiere artistic performers.
"He has quite a following throughout our city as well as a good portion of the Southeast, says John McFall, Artistic Director for the Atlanta Ballet. "We have had many accomplished dancers throughout my ten years here, but few have accomplished as much as this fine dancer and gentleman. He is a teacher, an innovator and an entrepreneur, just to name a few of his successes."
Wei came to the United States in 1991 and joined the Atlanta Ballet. Among the more than 40 roles that he has danced at Atlanta Ballet alone, his signature role is Dracula, which is running this season from October 28 to October 31 at Atlanta's Fabulous Fox Theatre.
This is the fourth time that Wei has danced the part of the dark count. His background in the performing arts particularly lends itself to the drama and movement of this theatrical ballet.
"I saw a video of the performance and instantly felt connected to the role," says Wei. I love this particular version of Dracula, because it allows the audience to really connect with the production.
"The combination of the choreography, music and acting is brilliantly," says Wei.
While the performance is taxing, preparation for the role is also challenging. At least an hour before the production begins, layers of make up are applied. An equal amount of time is spent affixing the silver wig and blending it with the rest of Wei's makeup and naturally dark hair.
After each performance, removing the makeup and wig requires at least fifteen minutes of work. It may seem like a long time to have the wig and make up removed, but it is preferable to having the wig stick to another dancer during a performance. During the 2000 season's opening night, as Wei and Julianne Kepley who played Lucy, danced, Julianne rolled across Wei's shoulders. The hooks on the back of her costume became entangled with pins in Wei's wig. Gracefully, the two made their way to the side of the stage and were quickly untangled. After some quick adjustments, both seamlessly returned to the stage.
To prepare for the role, Wei has done extensive research including watching several versions of the Dracula films and reading the Bram Stoker classic book multiple times.
When he isn't dancing, he is sharing his talent and years of wisdom with other young dancers at Atlanta Professional Dance School, the school that he and his wife run in Duluth. And while he is known for his bite in Dracula, when he is not dancing, he is more concerned that the fish are biting. Wei is an avid fisherman who has traveled as far as Alaska in search his big catch.
If you are one of those Atlantans who thinks the Ballet isn't for you or if you just haven't gotten around to buying tickets, this year's Dracula is reason enough to come out and experience what is happening at Atlanta Ballet.