Don Quixote: A Review

I am probably going to blow my cover with this post, not that most of you don't know who and where I am anyway, but I have to express my enthusiasm for the show I just saw.

Here in the capital of East Central Heart of Dixie, we have a thriving civic art life, the center piece of which is a "concert" series. "Concert" because that is loosely defined (blessedly), ranging from musical theater to ballet to Marvin Hamlisch to America to symphonies. Mostly, they are better shows than you would expect to find in such a small metropolis, especially since they're performed in the auditorium of the local almost-universally-dumped-on high school.

I should also mention that I usually only get to go to these shows when people give me their tickets because they don't want to go. It's pricy. One year a parishioner gave me season tickets, which was lovely. But it only happened once. There are lots of possible reasons for that! Well, yesterday, I was given tickets to tonight's show. Good thing I rarely have weekend night plans! My sweetie is having allergy ickiness and doesn't love ballet, so after calling around fruitlessly to find a date, I went by myself. It's kind of wet and nasty out, and I feel some obligation to provide a good audience to people who come from so far away to our little burg. I was so glad I went.

Tonight was the Russian National Ballet Theater's production of "Don Quixote" and it was AWESOME! I always forget how much I love ballet. It's lovely and beautiful and all, but I think the main thing is how freaking impressive it is.

The first two acts were kind of long, with moments of amusement and great dancing. There was one unfortunate choice which was to have the dancers actually make noise along with the music, with their hands and with tambourines and fans. You would think ballet dancers would have pretty good rhythm. Maybe they couldn't hear the music very well, although that seems unlikely. They weren't very together.

One other choice that interested me was a costuming thing in the second act. The majority of the ballet is presumably set in Spain (except for Don Quixote's dream where he meets the Queen of the Wood Nymphs, which is set in magical forest land or somehere like that). But in Act Two, Kitri and Basilio (the young, star-crossed lovers on the lam from her father) fall in with a band of gypsies.

Keep in mind that this is a Russian ballet company. So why were the gypsies dressed like Cossacks? You know, boots, black pants, red shirts, etc. (Incidentally, I was kind of dressed like a Cossack myself, in tribute. Plus, it's cold and wet here, so boots were in order.)

As far as I am aware, most Europeans (and Eurasians?) don't like Gypsies (or Roma, to be PC) much at all. So why would they want to associate the band of gypsies with their own cultural heritage? I'm guessing it was a cost-saving measure -- use what we have, but still. It seemed odd. The only "gypsy" sterotype in the costuming was the the women had scarves and chains around their waists. Maybe I'm wrong; maybe Russians loves Gypsies. Someone please educate me.

Anyway, Act Three was the best, which I'm assuming is pretty normal. The first scene included an incredible show from some of the secondary dancers, as a toreador and flamenco dancer. Her dress was fabulous and what she did with it even more so. I thought at that point, this was going to be my favorite part.

But in Act Three, Scene Two, the Grand Pas de Deux came, and it was absolutely amazing. Kitri was great, and Basilio was incredible. The duet was awesome. And then they all kept coming out and doing more and more incredible solos. The leaps, the spins, the leaping spins, the lifts, the spinning lifts... And it wasn't just those two; some of the other leads took turns too. The Grand Pas de Deux had broken through the audience's clapping-during-dancing barrier, and the applause just kept breaking in.

At some level, ballet is about human beings sitting and watching other human beings being really impressive. There is something soul-feeding about it. There are the pageantry of the costumes and the drama and the staging, which add a lot. But the thing about ballet, which is a fairly artificial medium in which the fourth wall is broken with regularity, is that it's upfront about the fact that the people on stage are doing incredible things that most of us can only dream of ever, ever being able to do. You know you are seeing something that requires an intense amount of dedication, skill and sacrifice. And there is something beautiful about the fact that some people make it possible.

Thank you, Russian National Ballet Theater! My soul is full.