Yolanda Correa Injects Vitality into a Lacklustre Don Quixote

STOCKHOLM: Rudolph Nureyev’s Don Quixote has been in the company since 1984 when they danced the version he created for the Australian Ballet Company.

This new production, mounted by Laurent Hilaire, is the version Nureyev set on the Paris Opera in 1981. There is a strong accent on classical technique and the clarity of the steps while retaining the character of the ballet.

Don Quixote is a ballet with only tenuous links to Cervantes’ iconic novel but it is brim full of good dance. Petipa took one small incident in the story and developed it to create one of the world’s most enjoyable ballets; introducing a pair of young lovers, toreadors, street dancers, dryads and gypsies to suit his needs. It offers a plethora of roles and is overdue for revival by the company.

The premiere was brought alive by Yolanda Correa, the Cuban ballerina guesting from the Norwegian National Ballet. A dancer of rare brilliance she maintained her sparkle through three acts filling the auditorium with her warmth. The role of Kitri offers many facets.

She is spirited and coquettish in Act 1, then in Act 2 the runaway lovers enjoy a romantic duet in the moonlit shadow of the windmill. In the next scene, Kitri takes on the role of Dulcinea the idealised woman of Don Quixote’s dream giving the dancer a chance to show her lyrical strength. Finally Act 3 introduces the famous wedding pas de deux, a benchmarks of virtuoso excellence.

Correa, bursting with Cuban fire had all these qualities and was a perfect Kitri, flirting between tricky balances, fluttering her fan with eloquence and executing an immaculate set of fouettes.

In contrast her Dulcinea was a vision of beauty and dignity. Her Basilio, Arsen Mehrabyan, gave a solid performance strong on pirouettes but lacking the passion and mischief that are as necessary to the role as technique and stamina.

Although the production was ablaze with colour, at the premiere the ambience on stage was tense and the dancers seemed cool and distant. The townsfolk who should be full of festive spirit and even the toreadors, who should have been preening like peacocks, were all somewhat subdued and serious.

The lack of vitality was not helped by the sluggish tempi from the pit. Wolfgang Heinz, a conductor who is no stranger to ballet, showed little empathy with the dancers who often seemed to be dragging the orchestra along rather than riding on buoyant tempi.

Léon Minkus is not a highly rated composer despite his beautiful melodies but he does provide spirited music for dance. However the slow tempi must have been very heavy on the dancers’ legs.

The character roles provided opportunities for many of the company good dance/actors. As Don Quixote, Pascal Jansson, played the aged Knight with dignity but his companion, Sancho Panza, (Jens Rosén) had little chance to develop an interesting and rounded character.

Daniel Norgren-Jensen as Gramache was deliciously awful, as excessive in his gestures and character as was his wildly elaborate costume. Nadine Baylis’ designs are a feast of colour. The principals are gorgeously arrayed and even the travelling band of gypsies seem to have come from an Arabian extravaganza.

Don Quixote draws on the full resources of a ballet company and the casting for this production did not include a number of the company’s principals and top soloists who were otherwise engaged. The lack of leading dancers in the secondary roles sadly weakened the overall quality of the production.

While the ensemble of dryads were well rehearsed and technically very good, Luisa Lopes as Queen of the Dryads had a difficult time, never quite getting to grips with the technique. Tall, elegant Daria Ivanova was, I felt, simply miscast as Mercedes, the sultry street dancer.

However her Espada, Vahe Martirosyan, has a dark, arrogant demeanour and I suspect will be very good when he is more at ease in the role.

Cupid was danced by a bright Ágota Ecseki with a neat, sharp pair of feet while Moe Nieda delivered a top quality ‘bridesmaid’ solo.

Friends and townsfolk were delivering the steps and looking good but not getting into the spirit of the piece although the gypsies in all their finery managed to raise the temperature somewhat.

It was a great relief to find the company transformed at the subsequent matinee and back on good form.

Critical Dance: Don Quixote in Stockholm: A first-class second performance by Maggie Foyer Länk till annan webbplats.

Maggie Foyer
29 May, 2015