Holiday Ballet Watchlist: Don Quixote

And now for something a little more light-hearted!  Next on our watchlist is the Mariinsky Theater Ballet's production of Don Quixote (called "Don Q" by those who dance it).  This ballet, based loosely on Miguel de Cervantes’s novel, Don Quixote, premiered in 1869 at the Bolshoi Theatre. The choreography was created by Marius Petipa, with music by Ludwig Minkus, whose lively, rhythmic score perfectly suits the ballet’s exuberant spirit.

Unlike many classical ballets, Don Quixote is not primarily tragic or ethereal; it is bold, colorful, at times humorous, and celebratory, known for its virtuosic dancing and joyful energy.

The ballet centers on Kitri and Basilio, two young lovers whose romance faces obstacles from Kitri’s overbearing father. Along the way, the idealistic knight Don Quixote and his loyal companion Sancho Panza wander into their story. After comic misadventures and misunderstandings, love triumphs, and the ballet ends with a festive wedding full of brilliant dancing.