(Enlarge) Paul Hager from Baltimore's Midtown Academy plays the 10-year-old at the center of DanceRINK's "Dracula," making its world premiere Oct. 28 through Nov. 1 at Baltimore's Theatre Project.

Tall and lanky, with a broad smile and large, gorgeous dancer's feet, Scott Rink has his own lofty ideas of how to present dance in a town that has all but forgotten the art. This weekend at Baltimore's Theatre Project, his group DanceRINK will perform the world premiere of "Dracula," an adaptation of the Bram Stoker thriller as seen through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy.

We talked about the Maryland native's latest project recently at his warehouse studio, situated between Baltimore's Light Rail tracks and Route 83, near Clipper Mill. The parking lot was dotted with license plates from Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia. It seems that dancers from up and down the East Coast are eager to work with Rink, one of the most inventive artists now active in local dance circles.

While he could easily fill his dance card with commissions from here and abroad, Rink has decided to put his energy into a group of hand-picked dancers. For what might be called a pickup group, the current company appears remarkably cohesive.

Rink, who grew up in Howard County, chooses his dancers from among the studios he regularly visits. He found young Paul Hager close to home, however, at Baltimore's Midtown Academy. He had gone there to lecture on this "Dracula," which is based on a 1938 radio play that starred Orson Welles.

Hager has been seen in theater productions in the Bolton Hill area, and claims not to be too intimidated about taking on the lead role in Rink's "Dracula." "It's lots of fun working with the dancers," says the sixth-grader. "There's always movement going on."

Rink has set the famed Stoker tale on a Halloween eve in 1950. He worked closely with composer Scott Marshall to create a unique dance/theater experience staged in a swirl of bodies and imagery designed to thrill modern audiences "whether aged 9 or 99."

"Look at these wonderful sets," enthuses Rink, pointing out the black-and-white pillows and sofa pieces used as nightmarish props on the Theatre Project stage. "With these and some wildly imaginative costumes, we will transport you to Transylvania," he chuckles. "I thought this would be a great piece to present on Halloween."

As for details on the dance, Rink explains, "The retro feel of the vintage radio-play combined with these fantastic, fun visual images really tell the story in an exciting and new way."

Rink first danced professionally in 1990 with the renowned Lar Lubovitch Company. He has also performed in the companies of Eliot Feld, Elisa Monte and Karole Armitage -- all noted for their own outstanding and original works. This writer remembers Rink's brilliant exploration of relationship themes in programs that drew modern dance fans to a walk-up theater in mid-Manhattan in the late 1990s.

As a choreographer, Rink's commissioned works have been performed by American Ballet Theatre II, the Oakland Ballet and Minnesota Dance Theatre, among others. The works he created for previous incarnations of DanceRINK have been embraced internationally. In 2010, he will set a new piece on Alvin Ailey dancers and create a new children's theater work.

His dance-play "Alice in Wonderland" made my own top-10 list of the best dance of 2008 for its masterful blend of movement and narrative. While little Alice meandered around the stage, demonstrating a pirouette or balletic leap, the corps flew wildly hither and yon, up and down, taking viewers through Lewis Carroll's looking glass and straight off to Wonderland.

Look for an encore revival of "Alice in Wonderland" by DanceRINK at the Theatre Project, Dec. 16-23.

As for the dancer-choreographer, he seems completely sincere when he says, "I am really excited to be back in Baltimore." To savvy local dance fans, the feeling is entirely mutual.

DanceRINK performs "Dracula" at the Theatre Project beginning with a Free Fall Baltimore debut Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. Other showtimes are Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at 7 p.m., with matinees Oct. 30 at noon, and Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 general most shows, $15 for seniors and artists, $10 for children. There's also a special Halloween Costume Benefit Ball performance planned for Oct. 31 with a $100 admission. For information, call 410-752-8558 or go to www.theatreproject.org or www.dancerink.com.

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