Exuding elegance
- Source: Global Times
- [08:37 November 18 2010]
- Comments
Anna Tsygankova starring Kitri in Don Quichotte
By Xing Daiqi
The Dutch National Ballet is in Beijing for the first time, presenting two programs, classical ballet Don Quichotte and a contemporary ballet gala, to showcase the diverse artistic scope that the company is known for, at the National Center for the Performing Arts.
"I'm very pleased that we are able to present the audience in China in this wonderful theater two different productions to show the diversity and the range of repertoires that our company presents," said artistic director Ted Brandson.
Classic revival
Don Quichotte has been popular for over 130 years. The Dutch National Ballet's new full-length production with 80 dancers, is bringing Marius Petipa's 1869 tale new choreographic life.
"It's a ballet that is all about happiness and joy. There is so much wonderful dancing in it," Brandson explained. "As a work, it is very well constructed that it always engages you and is fun to watch."
Choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, former artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, has returned to the work's origins in Russia, drawing inspiration from the libretto by Petipa.
"I think Alexei is one of the greatest choreographers in the world. He has an enormous knowledge about the past, but he uses it to bring something new to ballet, to create a connection between the past and the future," Brandson said.
"We all enjoyed working with him," added principal dancer Mathew Golding who plays the lead role of Basilio. "He is really into the old characters in ballet, going back to basics, back to when it was first done. He took a lot of the Russian contributions and it was nice to work with that."
Ratmansky choreographed several new sections and he made the storyline clearer by giving more prominence to the characters of Don Quichotte and Sancho, who are played by veteran Dutch comedians Karel de Rooij and Peter de Jong.
"I think that's one of the greatest achievements of Alexei. In this production, you can come and see the ballet and you understand what's going on because it's very clear in the way he presents it," Brandson explained.
