Carmilla
“Through contrasting contemporary and ballet movement vocabularies, [Carmilla] explores fear, identity, repression, desire, and autonomy in queer relationships…a ballet of beautiful decay.”
—Lilliana Miller, Dance Enthusiast
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Carmilla is Pangea Dance Collective’s full-length contemporary ballet adaptation of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic gothic romance novella by the same name. It tells a story of forbidden love between Laura, a lonely noblewoman, and Carmilla, the vampiress disguised as her companion.
In a secluded castle nestled deep in the Austrian highlands, Laura Stendhal lives isolated from society and friendship. With only her mother and her maids to accompany her, she spends her days longing for an end to the loneliness, and her nights plagued by frightful visions. Eventually, Laura decides she can no longer abide the solitude; she decides to run away. In the woods surrounding her home, Laura encounters the victim of a nearby carriage crash, a beautiful young woman of mysterious origin - Carmilla. After Laura invites Carmilla to return home with her, the two soon form a bond that awakens long-dormant romantic feelings in them both. But Laura is unaware of her new guest’s vampiric nature - and Carmilla’s thirst for Laura’s blood is a burning secret that threatens to tear them apart.
An intimate exploration of queerness, femininity, and freedom, Pangea’s Carmilla reimagines the romance between Laura and Carmilla one of mutual agency and empowerment. It employs the structure of a Romantic-era ballet to tell a contemporary story that will delight both new and longtime ballet enthusiasts.
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Yes! Carmilla was choreographed by our Artistic Director, Danielle Davis, and our Associate Artistic Director, Claire Pennington—who also plays Carmilla, and designed our custom costumes. Production for Carmilla began in 2024 and it has been presented in full twice, once at Pangea: Unveiled in November 2025 and once at the Spark Theatre Festival in April 2026, where it enjoyed a sold out audience!
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Carmilla will be presented again at our upcoming Fall Season performance, Pangea: Unleashed, taking place in October 2026. Please visit our “Events,” page for ticket updates!
Additionally, Pangea Passport Gold Members receive exclusive, professionally filmed performance footage. Click on the “Support Us” button at the top of the page to sign up as a Gold Member and receive a professional recording of Carmilla to enjoy on demand!
