Australian Ballet is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary and what better way to do it than staging Rudolf Nureyev’s 1973 film version of Don Quixote in which he starred with Lucette Aldous. It’s a joyous experience and one that challenges the entire company exhaustively. One of the advantages of watching a live stream is that you don’t miss anything, although this undoubtedly adds pressure to the performers.
At this performance, however, there were no obvious signs of nerves. The mood was lighthearted and supremely confident. It’s a ballet that requires a great deal of stamina and a lot of strength within the soloist ranks and Australian Ballet are well equipped for both. Another bonus to a live streaming is that you get commentary prior to the start and during the intervals, which in this case was illuminating, with interviews and anecdotes from former dancers who had appeared in the film.
The story has relocated from La Mancha to the port of Barcelona although this did not affect the action or drama. Sets by Richard Roberts (originals were Barry Kay) are breathtaking, evoking the hustle and bustle of a busy town centre and the glorious warmth of the Spanish sun. Costumes have been recreated from Kay’s designs and are rich in colour and texture. The story of a knight-errant who dreams of love and gallantry is simply told. No need for programme notes, but this Don Quixote is really all about the dancing. There is much to admire.
There is abundant solo dancing in Act 1 aside from the main protagonists: Espada (Callum Linnane), the suave matador and his cohort of equally smooth operators; a street dancer (Amy Harris) and Kitri’s friends (Jill Ogai and Riley Lapham). Each of them gave excellent, spirited performances and were a good foil for the animated antics of Paul Knobloch’s exceedingly camp Gamache.
In spite of the title, Don Quixote mostly focuses on the love story between Kitri and Basilio and these roles were danced impeccably by Ako Kondo and Chengwu Guo. Naturally, they also have the lion’s share of the dancing. For those familiar with Nureyev’s choreography, it will come as no surprise that the steps are fiddly and fast. He seems never to tire of squeezing in an extra double rond de jambe or two, even if it appears to push the music. Inevitably, he has given much of this tricky footwork to Basilio but right from the start, Guo negotiated the hurdles superbly.
In between the technical flourishes, Adam Bull (who is bowing out gracefully after 21 years of superlative performances) as the Don, and his trusty sidekick Sancho Panza (Timothy Coleman) were endearingly 'slow motion' and the addition of Rocinante, an uncannily realistic looking (puppet) horse, was rather a scene stealer.
Act 2, the setting for the Romani dancers and the famous windmill scene where the Don accidentally gets swept off his feet, also provided opportunities for some first rate dancing. Marcus Morelli gave an exhilarating account of the leading Romani. As Don Quixote gets lost in his reverie of Dulcinea, Sharni Spencer was imperious and beautifully controlled as Queen of the Dryads, especially in her fiendishly difficult solo. Yuumi Yamada as Cupid was delightfully fleet of foot and the corps de ballet were immaculately well-drilled.
If you haven’t already had your fill of top notch dancing, then Act 3 will surely satiate any yearnings. As the ballet concludes with the marriage of Kitri and Basilio, the dancing reflects that exuberance. The fandango was one of the most exciting I have seen but many in the audience will have been anticipating the well-known pas de deux which is very often performed at galas. It’s taxing as an isolated party piece but to dance it at the end of three acts is a feat and a half. Kondo and Guo did not put a foot wrong for the duration of the performance. With warmth and humour, they possessed the wow factor with every pirouette or gravity defying leap, beautifully crisp footwork and sparkling dynamics. Australian Ballet, under the direction of David Hallberg, have a welcome addition to the repertoire that happens to suit them very well indeed. Their natural ebullience is fully exploited in this splendid production. A word too, for the Orchestra Victoria, under the baton of Charles Barker, who gave a vibrant performance of Ludwig Minkus’ jolly score.
This performance was reviewed from the Australian Ballet live stream
