Organization

Admin

Royal Danish Opera

Choreographer

Choreographer (+1)

Nikolaj Hübbe

Set designer

Set designer (+2)

Steffen Aarfing

Costume designer

Set designer (+1)

Annemarie Woods

Lighting designer

Lighting designer (+1)

Lee Curran

Det Kongelige Teater (Gamle Scene)

Choreography by

Choreographer (+2)

Marius Petipa

Mikhail Baryshnikov

Conductor

Conductor (+2)

Matthew Rowe

Damian Iorio

Nikolaj Hübbe's stunningly beautiful ballet, based on Cervantes' immortal novel.

Don Quixote stands as one of the great, undying classics in ballet history. It portrays the unmatched duo of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, crusading for pure love and true justice.

Cervantes' 17th-century novel, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, tells the story of the idealist Don Quixote and his cunning squire, who, in their stubborn quest for truth and moral virtue, confront all manner of sorcery and wickedness. To this day, the narrative is celebrated as one of the greatest literary achievements. Indeed, time never seems to diminish this mammoth work, hailed as the first modern novel.

In 1869, the eminent choreographer Marius Petipa transformed Cervantes' story into dance. He stayed true to the original tale but also chose to highlight the young lovers, Kitri and Basil, who face an uphill battle to be united. Stylistically, he was inspired by the Spanish theme, while ensuring the production remained a classical ballet, greatly aided by Ludwig Minkus’ captivating music. In this version, Nikolaj Hübbe, with Steffen Aarfing's sublime colour aesthetics, presents the story as an extravaganza of virtuosic ballet. Southern romance, fiery women, crackling castanets and dazzling dance!

Photos