DON QUIXOTE Adds Performance at Greek National Opera

Don Quixote was successfully launched by the Ballet of the Greek National Opera in a packed Stavros Niarchos Hall at the SNFCC, on Thursday, 5 December 2024. As all tickets for the eight performances are sold out prior to the premiere, the Greek National Opera has announced one extra performance on Saturday, 4 January 2025, at 18.30. Tickets for the additional performance will be released on Saturday 7 December 2024 at 9.00 and will be available at the GNO Box Office and www.ticketservices.gr.

The 2024/25 season for the GNO Ballet opened yesterday evening with the revival of Ludwig Minkus’ classical piece Don Quixote. The choreography, based on Petipa’s classical version, carries the signature of distinguished Brazilian dancer and choreographer Thiago Bordin. Alongside him, a team of exceptional artists created a production of high aesthetics. The sets were created by international set designer George Souglides and the costumes were designed by world-class fashion designer Mary Katrantzou. Eirini Vianelli was responsible for the animations and Christos Tziogkas for the lighting design.

The GNO Orchestra was conducted by Stathis Soulis.

Guest dancers Madison Young and Victor Caixeta delivered exceptional performances as Kitri and Basilio in the premiere. The GNO Ballet Principal Dancers Vangelis Bikos and Eleana Andreoudi left a lasting impression in the roles of Espada and Mercedes. Complementing the high-quality performances were the soloists, demi-soloists, and the Corps de ballet of the GNO, together with students from the GNO Professional Dance School.

Don Quixote, one of the most important and popular works in the classical ballet repertoire, is based on episodes drawn from the renowned novel of the same title written by Miguel de Cervantes. It is also one of the most demanding ballets in the repertoire and is considered a major challenge for classical ballet dancers due to its high level of technical difficulty – the manner in which it is performed reveals the standing of a ballet company as a whole.

Guided by the singular music of Minkus, the choreography tells a story imbued with the lofty ideals of knighthood and chivalry, and never fails to touch audiences thanks to its skillful mix of comedy and romance.

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