Don Quixote

Charles Kirby and Jacques Gorrissen as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in Don Quixote (ca. 1982). Photo by Barry Gray.

Photos
Videos

Irene Apiné and Jury Gotshalks as Kitri and Basilio in the Pas de Deux from Don Quixote (ca. 1953).
Martine van Hamel as Kitri in the Pas de Deux from Don Quixote (1963).
Charles Kirby and Jacques Gorrissen as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in Don Quixote (ca. 1982).
Nicolas Beriozoff rehearsing Don Quixote with Artists of the Ballet (1982).
Don Quixote costume sketch by Desmond Heeley (1984).
Marcia Haydée, Kevin Pugh and Yoko Ichino backstage after a Don Quixote performance on the European Tour (1985).
Erik Bruhn’s letter to the company (1986).
Hazaros Surmeyan and Piotr Stanczyk as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in Balanchine’s Don Quixote (2007).

Contributing Photographers
Barry Gray
Ballard and Jarrett
Ken Bell
Andrew Oxenham
David Street
Cylla von Tiedemann

Production Chronology
Pas de Deux from Don Quixote
Premiere Date: December 10, 1951
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Music: Ludwig Minkus

Pas de Deux from Don Quixote
Premiere Date: October 17, 1963
Choreography: after Marius Pepita, staged by Svetlana Beriosova
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Costume Design: Mark Negin
Lighting Design: Wallace Russell

Pas de Deux from Don Quixote
Premiere Date: January 15, 1964
Choreography: after Eugen Valukin, staged by Galina Samtsova
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Costume Design: Mark Negin

Don Quixote
Premiere Date: November 10, 1982
Choreography: Nicolas Beriozoff, after Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky
Music: Ludwig Minkus, orchestrated and adapted by John Lanchbery
Set and Costume Design: Emanuele Luzzati
Lighting Design: Sholem Dolgoy

This production was made possible by a gift from the Build-A-Ballet^TM Fund, THE VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE, THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA

Don Quixote
Premiere Date: November 6, 1985
Choreography: Nicolas Beriozoff, after Marius Petipa and Alexandre Gorky
Music: Ludwig Minkus, orchestrated and adapted by John Lanchbery
Set and Costume Design: Desmond Heeley
Lighting Design: Robert Thomson

The original production of Don Quixote is a gift from the Build-A-Ballet^TMFund, THE VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE, THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA. The new production of Don Quixote has been made possible in part by special gifts from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Gulf Canada Limited, Kodak Canada Limited, The Ontario Arts Council, The Canada Council, as well as contributions from many individual donors.

Balanchine’s Don Quixote
Premiere Date: June 15, 2007
Choreography: George Balanchine, staged by Suzanne Farrell
Music: Nicolas Nabokov
Set Design: Zack Brown
Costume Design: Holly Hynes
Lighting Design: Brad Fields

Blanchine’s Don Quixote is a gift from Roger and Kevin Garland. Produced in association with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet Company.

About the Ballet

The ballet Don Quixote is based on the celebrated epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. The production deals with the adventures and misadventures of the rusty old knight, Don Quixote, and his faithful servant, Sancho Panza, as well as the romance between two young lovers Kitri and Basilio. More specifically, the ballet deals with every man’s search for the ideal. The first known use of the story’s theme for ballet was in the 1750s by the choreographer Jean Georges Noverre in Vienna. The version of the ballet that has been passed down to us today was created by Marius Petipa, the French choreographer who is known as the father of classical ballet. Petipa’s production of Don Quixote was first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, on December 14, 1869. Petipa’s original choreography is now virtually lost since his production was generally replaced by a new one choreographed by Alexandre Gorsky in the early 20^th century. Though a few variations and dances have been reworked by Russian choreographers, it is basically Gorsky’s version that is presented today.

George Balanchine, the prolific choreographer and founder of the New York City Ballet, is known for his innovative interpretation of the narrative. While Russian productions relegate Don Quixote to an amiable old fool, Balanchine placed him at the centre of the story and commissioned a new score from Nicolas Nabokov. Despite the fact Balanchine’s Don Quixote premiered in 1965 it has only been performed by three companies, New York City Ballet, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada.

Ballet Notes

Get more insight into the production - Ballet Notes are detailed guides to the company's dynamic repertoire. Read the synopsis and articles and view more photos in the Don Quixote Ballet Notes.

Read the 2011 Ballet Notes

Read the 2007 Ballet Notes

Our History

	Artistic Director Celia Franca added Marius Petipa’s famous Don Quixote Pas De Deux to the repertoire one month after The National Ballet of Canada’s founding. The Pas De Deux was first performed by husband and wife pairing Irene Apiné and Jury Gotshalks on December 10, 1951 at the Forest Hill Community Centre. In 1953, the National Ballet was invited to perform at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the longest running international summer dance festival in the United States. This marked The National Ballet of Canada’s American debut and saw the company perform an array of ballets, including the Don Quixote Pas De Deux featuring Apiné and Gotshalks reprising their roles as Kitri and Basilio. The National Ballet of Canada returned to the prestigious festival only once more in 1957. *Irene Apiné and Jury Gotshalks as Kitri and Basilio in the Pas de Deux from Don Quixote* (ca. 1953).**
	Two new versions of the Don Quixote Pas de Deux were staged during the 1963/64 season. The first was by Svetlana Beriosova, daughter of Nicolas Beriozoff, after the original Marius Petipa. The second was staged by National Ballet Principal Dancer Galina Samtsova, after Eugen Valukin. A young Martine van Hamel was cast exclusively as Kitri in both versions throughout the season. After leaving the National Ballet in 1969, van Hamel continued her illustrious performing career as a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre for over 20 years. *Martine van Hamel as Kitri in the Pas de Deux from Don Quixote* (1963).**
	In 1982, celebrated Ballet Master Nicholas Beriozoff mounted the full-length version of Don Quixote on the National Ballet. This version was set to the traditional composition of Ludwig Minkus, orchestrated and adapted by John Lanchbery and featured designs by Emanuele Luzzati. Beriozoff’s Don Quixote premiered at the O’Keefe Centre in Toronto on November 12, 1982 with Charles Kirby in the title role, and Karen Kain and Frank Augustyn as the young lovers Kitri and Basilio. *Nicolas Beriozoff rehearsing Don Quixote* with Artists of the Ballet (1982).**
	In the Spring of 1985 The National Ballet of Canada included Don Quixote in its extensive tour throughout Europe. It was performed 17 times in 10 cities, including Luxembourg, Berlin, Zurich and Milan. *Marcia Haydée, Kevin Pugh and Yoko Ichino backstage after a Don Quixote* performance on the European Tour (1985).**
	Artistic Director Erik Bruhn commissioned Desmond Heeley to breathe new life into Don Quixote through the creation of new sets and costumes. The production premiered on November 6, 1985 at Toronto’s O’Keefe Centre and again featured Charles Kirby as Don Quixote alongside American Ballet Theatre’s Cynthia Gregory and Fernando Bujones in the roles of Kitri and Basilio. The pairing of these special Guest Artists was hailed by the press as “a partnership made in heaven”. Don Quixote costume sketch by Desmond Heeley (1984).
	Shortly before his untimely death on April 1, 1986 Artistic Director Erik Bruhn addressed company members in a personal letter celebrating the triumph of the revamped Don Quixote. The new production had been restored as a popular favourite among the National Ballet’s repertoire while at the same time cementing Erik Bruhn’s lasting legacy as the company’s Artistic Director. Erik Bruhn’s letter to the company (1986). Read Erik Bruhn's Letter to the company
	The National Ballet of Canada was granted the rare opportunity in the 2006/07 season to mount George Balanchine’s Don Quixote as restaged by Suzanne Farrell. The original production created for New York City Ballet in 1965 had stopped being performed by 1978, only to be revived by Farrell’s own company in 2005. Set to a commissioned score by composer Nicolas Nabokov, Balanchine’s adaptation departs from the traditionally choreographed versions of Miguel de Cervantes’s story and makes Don Quixote himself the central subject in a much darker ballet. Balanchine’s modern masterpiece had its National Ballet premiere at the Four Season Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto on June 15, 2007 with Hazaros Surmeyan as the tragic hero Don Quixote and Heather Ogden as his unattainable love Dulcinea. *Hazaros Surmeyan and Piotr Stanczyk as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in Balanchine’s Don Quixote* (2007).**

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"My mom has 5 younger sisters. One of them is an artist and I always thought she was my "cool" aunt Chrissie. When I was little, I lived in Winnipeg and, having only two sons and a husband with no interest in ballet, she took me to the ballet regularly. I still remember many of the ballets we saw vividly, including Carmen, Swan Lake, and even The Legend of Lizzie Borden. My mother was not impressed with her sister after I came home dancing and spinning tales of axe murders! But I loved every minute.

Now, as an adult, I have my own season tickets to the National Ballet here in Toronto and I have been going regularly for several years (more than five but I'm not sure if it's an even ten yet!). Two years ago, my cool aunt Chrissie came to visit us in Toronto and her visit happened to coincide with one of the National Ballet's performances; Don Quixote. I purchased an extra ticket and took my aunt to the ballet. When we arrived and took our seats, she started crying and was telling everyone sitting around us that she used to take me to the ballet as a child and now I was taking her, 30 years later. I almost started crying myself! She loved the performance, as did I, and still tells that story to friends and family. I will always be grateful to Chrissie for introducing me to the ballet and fostering my love of the arts. In January 2012, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Scarlet, and I can't wait to take her to her first ballet. Once that happens we will have truly come full circle :)"

- Ms. Sheila Balkissoon, Subscriber & Donor, 5+ years