Are you a bona fide ballet lover or just want to see this art form for the first time? Either way, look no further than Staatsballett Berlin which, from this Friday (03.12.2021), is performing a reimagining of the classic Don Quixote at the Deutsche Oper. Based on the 1605 Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes, the ballet was first performed in Moscow in 1869. This latest adaptation by Spanish choreographer Víctor Ullate brings authenticity to Don Quixote, restoring much of the Spanish flair of the original work and its flamenco movements. That’s not to say the show isn’t innovative: Ullate has introduced guitar to Ludwig Minkus’s original score and the performance includes elaborate sets and lighting which have been fully realized for the first time. If you don’t know the story, it begins when Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, his servant, go on an adventure and stumble across a couple whose parents forbid them to marry. Don Quixote’s intervention highlights the power of friendship and determination. The ballet will run for 13 performances by five different casts until February 2022. The venue for the show is the mid-century Deutsche Oper, with its dramatic vaulted ceiling and geometric facade comprising 88 concrete slabs. All the more reason to grab a ticket for this dazzling and vibrant ballet that brings some much-needed escapism during these gray days…
Text: Rosie Gilmour / Photos: Yan Revazov, Deutsche Oper Berlin / Credit: Leo Seidel & Staatsballett
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bismarckstr.35, 10627 Berlin–Charlottenburg; map
Don Quixote from 03.12.2021. Tickets are available online.
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