By Tara Mitton Catao
Of all the full-length classical ballets, it is Don Quixote that continually delights audiences, and Miami City Ballet’s production was selected to be a crowd-pleaser as well as a natural fit for the largely Hispanic company. The popular ballet has all the ingredients that make it easy for audiences to enjoy.
The lavish costumes and sets by Santo Loquasto, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre, made the production visually satisfying, and together with the tremendously appealing musical score composed by Léon Minkus, and the lively dancing of a host of characters, from secret lovers to macho matadors, and from alluring gypsies to ethereal fairies, it was a given that Don Quixote would please the crowd Saturday night at the Kravis Center.
Adding to the success of the evening was conductor Gary Sheldon, who led The Opus One Orchestra in another high-quality performance.
Though based on the famous novel by Miguel de Cervantes, the storyline of the ballet is a little thin — not to mention a little convoluted — with its vast array of characters. Taking place in three acts, there were twirling matador capes and shaking ruffled skirts as flirtation abounded amid comic interludes between buffoons, pranksters and a befuddled Don.
The up-and-coming young dancer Nathalia Arja had her debut in the lead role as Kitri, the defiant daughter of the local innkeeper, who has decided to marry the poor barber of her village, Basilio, of whom her father does not approve, because he has made plans for her to marry a rich neighbor. Renan Cerdeiro played the role of the flirtatious Basilio.
As talented as these two wonderful young dancers are, they struggled to carry the demands of these illustrious roles throughout the length of the three-act ballet. By the final wedding scene, where they had to peak and shine in the Grand Pas de Deux (one of the most-seen and most-loved, as well as one of the most technically demanding, pas de deux in the ballet repertory), they were waning.
Arja just didn’t have the strength and power that one has come to associate with the demanding variations, with their eagerly anticipated virtuosic balances en pointe and multiple fouettés. Cerdeiro fared better, with a stronger and cleaner technique and a beautifully executed manège.
The dancer who seemed to have no problem with portraying a believable character while dancing superbly was Patricia Delgado in her sassy role as Mercedes, the street dancer with a tender heart. Her acting was deeply felt and drew you in while she effortlessly danced with just the right amount of Latin flair and a good use of her back and épualement.
Her love match was Jovani Furlan, another talented young dancer. Playing the role of Espada the matador, Furlan, though technically strong, lacked attack and clarity as well as consistency in his character development.
It is not easy to marry dance and mime as if it were one, but that is what is required in these great story ballets. There is so much pantomime that fills the gaps between the dancing, and if it is not good, the whole production falls short. Too often it is brushed over as unimportant compared to the technical requirements of the dance.
The many wonderful variations in Don Quixote are usually seen by themselves, so when one has the opportunity to see them in context, in their full-length ballet, it is a privilege and therefore, it makes it all the more important to have the continuity, believability and refinement in the acting, which supports the storyline and creates a harmonious balance with the dancing. As the saying goes: the devil is in the details.
Andrei Chagas was excellent as the leader of the Gypsies and Sara Esty was confident and quick in her pixie blond wig as Amour in the dream scene. Arja seemed most comfortable dancing in the dream sequence in her role as the Don’s vision of Dulcinea. Here, she was her confident self, dancing with ease and elegance.
The Miami City Ballet next presents Don Quixote at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami, from Friday, April 11, to Sunday, April 13. Call 305-929-7010 or visit www.MiamiCityBallet.org.