ABT 2018 - Don Quixote

Last night was my regular subscription night to ABT - I've had to exchange most of my tickets this year because of either work or trips home.  Monday is usually the night I like to go, since it's the first night of any particular ballet.  And although Don Quixote is not my most favorite ballet in the world, I had a lovely time last night.

As I've said before, the plot to Don Quixote is just plain silly and there's maybe only a half hour's worth of story, if that, but then there's two+ hours worth of lovely dancing.  The dream sequence alone is worth the price of admission.  I see this ballet every few years, but it's usually not on my regular rotation, due to lack of story - though I did see it last year.  Last year was the performance where the lead gent got injured during the wedding pas de deux and he had to be replaced by a dancer playing another character (you can remind yourself of my thoughts on that performance HERE).  I remembered a bit of choreography from that performance caused a bit of trouble - I'll have to remind you later of when I remembered that...

Two of my favorite performers danced the lead roles last night, Isabella Boylston and Daniil Simkin.  I was a tad disappointed when a little slip of paper fell out of my program and I saw that Devon Teuscher would not be dancing as Mercedes, but then I was happy again when I saw that Stella Abrera would be taking her place.  You all know I love Stella!  I was also happy to see that Calvin Royal would be dancing Espada, the matador.  I enjoy him so much and I'm always glad to see him dance new roles (well, at least new to me, I've never seen him in Don Q before).  Oh, and my ABT MVP, Roman Zhurbin, was also performing, again as Don Quixote himself.  Zhurbin is such a fine actor, he will have a wonderful career post-dancing, I think.  He found so many touching moments in an often-silly mime role.  Again, the dream sequence was just sublime, and he helped elevate it immensely.

from Pinterest

Boylston and Simkin are a delightful pair, very light-hearted and winning, with huge dancing and a great sense of fun.  They are both quick and precise, with big jumps and amazing tricks.  They both stayed in elevations long past what I'm used to and their essential sweetness as dancers shone through.  Their wedding pas de deux was simply spectacular and just kept getting better and better throughout.  They did have some trouble with a couple of lifts - the first one in the first scene was dicey (she never made it all the way to the correct position), though when they repeated it, Simkin made a point of landing it and then doing it one-handed.  He tipped with her a bit precariously in a second act lift, and then when they came out for the third act wedding pas de deux, all of a sudden I remembered last year's issue and thought, "please, god, let them skip the one-handed-press lift, please!!"  I don't think it's a good sign when you want the dancers to skip a piece of choreography, but I was really afraid something would go wrong.  They replaced that lift with something else and I (and probably everyone else) breathed a sigh of relief.

As I said earlier, the dream sequence was truly a dream.  Sparkling Skylar Brandt was again at her sparkling best as Amour and young Katherine Williams made her debut as the Queen of the Dryads.  She was terrific with spectacular fouettes.  I wasn't quite so fond of Isabella's arms throughout her solo, but she handled the tremendously difficult footwork well.  Oh, and in old reviews of Don Quixote, I generally make mention of the gypsy costumes in act two (you'll see I criticize them HERE).  Well, in the good news/bad news department, I can happily say that the costumes and wigs have been replaced.  Bad news:  they're worse.  Now the ugly Van Halen wigs are fuller and more brightly colored, and the macrame crop tops have been replaced by (I think) tie-dye tshirts.  And the velvet pants?  Yuck.  Seriously.  Yuck.  I took a look with my binoculars because I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing - I'm hoping it was just my eyesight playing tricks on me...

All in all, though, I enjoyed myself immensely.  Everyone seemed to be having fun on stage and there was some terrifically difficult choreography being thrown around as if they were the easiest steps in the world.  I really like Boylston and Simkin more and more, each time I see them dance.  I love their approach to filling in their characterizations more each time they dance and I just love their wonderful technique (of course, Boylston gave me the iconic leap I was looking for [though not in the photo at right, sorry]).  The wobbles and quibbles didn't detract from the performance for me at all.  They're dancing together again later in the run; I suggest you check them out.  

Seat neighbor-wise, it was an interesting night.  I was in the midst of a group, mainly behind me, filled with children.  I'm so happy that parents bring their kids to the ballet, honest, I am, BUT.  For the love of all that's holy, teach them NOT TO KICK THE SEAT IN FRONT OF THEM.  The entire first act consisted of my being pummeled by restless feet, which I think were encased in concrete boots.  You all know me, I'm non-confrontational, but I absolutely had to say something.  The whole first intermission was ruined for me, because I was upset I had to be negative at someone.  But I stood up, turned around, smiled, and politely asked the mother to keep the child from kicking my seat.  I didn't want to give the child a negative impression of being at the ballet.  The mom smiled back and said "ok."  Thankfully, the kicking stopped.  But the talking started.  I don't know if they were talking about not kicking my seat, but at least I wasn't sitting in a vibrating seat.  I can drown out talking, but not kicking.  Oh, and my left-side-seat-neighbor thanked me after I said something.  I said I hate to yell at a kid, but enough was enough, and she said she was getting ready to get the house manager.  I probably saved an international incident.

Though I was ready to start one myself with the guy two rows in front of me who gave a standing ovation to EVERY PAS DE DEUX.  Not at curtain call, but during the ballet.  People behind him kept yelling "sit down!", but he didn't care.  Ugh...people.  Oh, and the women to my right were seriously in love with Daniil Simkin.  Every time he did something grand (which was often), one would whisper "jesus."  Then they both would giggle and clap and yell bravo.  They were of a mature age, so it was kinda cute.  Though I hope I never become the subject of someone else's seat neighbor's report...

Only one ballet to go for the season!  I can hardly believe it's almost over!  I was worried, at first, that I wouldn't enjoy myself this summer because of all the backstage turmoil, but I'm happy to report that once the lights dim and those beautiful chandeliers rise to the ceiling, all is happy in my ballet world.