A lost feeling ballet saved by one phenomenal performance.
Carlos Acosta’s version of Don Quixote never quite finds its feet. Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote tells the story of a deluded knight who famously jousts with windmills. Perhaps the first ‘modern’ novel, it asks us to consider what is real and unreal, what is worth valuing, and where elusive happiness might be found. These are fertile themes for ballet, but the production never seems to delve into any of them. Quixote watches as two simple love stories unfold, occasionally pointing his spear at someone to advance the plot.
What really great narrative ballet does is use dance’s mysterious and bodily qualities to delve into parts of a story that words are too jagged for. Here, the story is just a framework for dances to be sequenced within. There is almost a distrust of dance’s ability to carry narrative and feeling: the plot is pushed forward by awkward mime or projection, and then dance happens, rather than dance being used to tell the story.
This would be fine if the dancing were truly exceptional. Unfortunately, Acosta’s choreography repeats itself. The cause is likely the music. Hans Werner Henze’s re-orchestration of Ludwig Minkus’ score brings some sense of varied musical texture, but is hampered by Minkus’ tendency to return to the same ideas and voicings.
Acosta does create exciting and moving moments. A particularly good series of pas de deux plays throughout with a lovely sense of symmetry between the two dancers. The opening of the second act has a sequence reminiscent of Balanchine’s Theme and Variations — the same beauty found through precision of position. And whilst the production struggles to tell its story through dance, the dancing itself is often fun and charming. The company are excellent.
On the night I saw it, Momoko Hirata danced Kitri. Her performance was phenomenal. She has an extraordinary way of making each motion feel both precisely rehearsed and a spontaneous decision of the character — the oxymoron at the centre of brilliant ballet: impossibly difficult, yet done with ease. Hirata masters that illusion throughout. Each movement flows pristinely into the next; there is a constant, beautiful sense of shape, both in her body and as it moves through space.
Don Quixote feels a little lost. Its story is hazy to the point of illegibility, and its music never finds a second gear. It is danced very well, and Birmingham Royal Ballet are well worth seeing — they routinely make beautiful work and have rightly earned huge success both at home and on tour — but this isn’t them at their best.
Don Quixote runs at Sadler Wells until 25th April. Tickets here.