ABT, DON QUIXOTE, MET OPERA HOUSE, NEW YORK CITY, JUNE 5 & 16, 2002 |
DON QUIXOTEChoreography by Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky The sunshine of As everybody knows, the story has little to do with Don Quixote (basically a mime role, here played sympathetically by Victor Barbee), but he starts and ends the action. A huge painted Spanish fan, which opens each act, establishes the setting. Don Quixote is first seen dreaming of his ideal woman, Dulcinea; he sets out in search of her with his faithful squire Sancho Panza as his companion. The scene shifts to a sun-splashed plaza where Kitri and her friends are cavorting. Her father rejects the poor barber, Basil, as husband for his daughter. Gamache (played with sly wit all three nights by Guillaume Graffin), a foppish nobleman smitten by Kitri, is his favored candidate. Don Quixote arrives and in his befuddled state, confuses Kitri with Dulcinea. She kindly plays along with his delusion. Later, along with Kitri’s friends Espada and his girfriend Mercedes, the knight helps the lovers elope. A full moon lights turquoise blue skies as Kitri and Basil, in matching blue costumes, reach a Gypsy camp; the two are welcomed and entertained by exuberant dances. Joaquin De Luz and Erica Cornejo spinned and jumped with controlled abandon as the Gypsy couple. (On June 16, Carlos Lopez replaced De Luz more than capably.) Don Quixote and Sancho Panza have followed the lovers; the former, seeing a windmill, mistakes it for a giant attacking Dulcinea. As he charges, he is caught by one of its arms and is thrown down. Badly shaken, he falls into a deep sleep and dreams of Dulcinea. At sunrise, Kitri’s father and Gamache come upon Don Quixote. He attempts to misdirect them, but Sancho Panza unwittingly tells them which way the lovers have fled. They catch up with them at a tavern. The father is determined to make Kitri accept Gamache, but Basil has a plan. He pretends to kill himself with his razor, and gets Kitri to plead with her father to let her marry his “corpse.” When her father consents, Basil jumps back to life. The brief third act is pure bravura dancing, with Kitri and Basil celebrating their nuptials in a blaze of technical showpieces. The evening ends as Don Quixote, congratulating the couple, also says farewell and leaves to continue his quest. To see Nina’s Kitri is always an exhilarating experience—she is arguably the leading exponent of the role in our generation---and from her first entrance, it is easy to see why. She explodes onto the stage like a jolt of pure energy---her grand jeté signaling the start of an evening of fireworks. Her whole body expresses the character of this Spanish beauty---proud yet warmly alluring, coquettish, mischievous and utterly irresistible. Her soulful dark eyes can be enticing one moment and contemptuous the next. Her arms, shoulders and fingers express worlds of meaning and she uses steps to punctuate the drama. Her Basil, Marcelo Gomes, was making his debut in the role. The tall, handsome Brazilian, who has previously proven himself as Espada, the matador, started out cautiously, but soon caught fire from his ballerina. Herrera and Carreño are more practiced partners and it showed. True to their Latin heritage, the two sparked excitement with their passionate delivery. Herrera exults in fast, centered turns; she was also expert in tossing her fan with insouciance. Carreño’s wooing and carousing were smoothly integrated with spins and jumps; his line caressed the eye. Most balletomanes think the pyrotechnics of the third act Grand Pas the highest point of Don Quixote. Certainly the sharp clear poses and astounding balances expected of the ballerina are thrilling. Ananiashvili is unequalled in both the panache and length of time in which she can hold a pose on toe. A particularly long balance on June 5 brought gasps from the audience. (A miscue by Gomes on June 16 rather spoiled that moment.) Herrera also found her center for a good few seconds in this act, though her delivery had less dramatic punch. In the final set of fouettés, Herrera tried for too many spins and ended up with her back to the audience. Ananiashvili, always in full control, ended her series by decelerating in grand manner. Her fouettés seemed even swifter in the later performance. Carreño’s variations were thrillingly executed, his final set of turns bringing the Grand Pas to a truly exciting end. Gomes, by his physique alone can bring grandeur to simpler steps. With time and experience, he is sure to bring more conviction to his characterization. Right now, his variations seem more tentative and measured, where they should exude energy and brio. His partnering will surely continue to improve as well. While the Grand Pas is exciting, for this Friend, the true test of the ballerina comes in the Dream Scene, in itself an oasis of quiet beauty amidst the raucous comedy of this ballet. Here, Kitri becomes the idealized Woman, and the ballerina is called on to exhibit her mastery of pure classical style and technique. Nina continues to amaze in her articulation and control---she makes hops on pointe seem like effortless play, and she leaves me breathless with her bold attacks on a series of sissonnes fermées, relevés en arabesque; sissonnes fermées, relevés en attitude--- where she springs to a pointe and stops, arms and working leg in opposing yet perfectly harmonious balance. In her final diagonal of grands jetés, the challenge for her is to try not to fall off the edge of the (large) stage in three flying jumps. Other performances of note came from Carlos Molina as a flamboyant Espada
(June 5, 16); his cape work was exemplary. Maria Riccetto was a delicately light Amour on
all nights. Veronika Part brought considerable presence to the Queen of the Dryads (June
5) and languid allure to Mercedes (June 12), her dancing neat and assured. David La
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