NJ Ballet Presents Don Quixote, 5/18

New Jersey Ballet returns to MPAC for two performances May 18-19. On Saturday, May 18 at 8 pm, it will present Don Quixote. On Sunday, May 19 at 1:30 pm and 4 pm, it will present Beauty and the Beast/Peter and the Wolf, ballets specifically geared toward families with young children ages 4 and up. Tickets for Don Quixote are $29-59; tickets for Beauty and the Beast/Peter and the Wolf are $12-15.

New Jersey Ballet premiered Don Quixote at MPAC in 2011, and the production immediately met with critical and audience acclaim. Within the month, it had made it to the Star-Ledger's prestigious Top Ten dance events of the year. This production is based on the 1900 version staged for the Bolshoi by Alexander Gorsky. Don Quixote is rich in Spanish color, flavor, and the laugh-out-loud humor of Cervantes' masterpiece about an old knight, his squire, and their foray into the age of chivalry.

The Don Quixote story involves Kitri, the headstrong daughter of an innkeeper, and Basilio, the village barber. The two young people are in love, but the innkeeper plans to marry his daughter off to Gamach, a foppish local nobleman. As Kitri is refusing to obey her father, along comes old Don Quixote who confuses the situation by mistaking Kitri for Dulcinea, the imaginary lady of his dreams. His attempts to rescue Dulcinea and right the wrongs he imagines in his world keep the story moving until the young lovers can be wed in a grand celebration in the village square.

The company chose Don Quixote because "It is a joyous ballet with outstanding choreography by Gorsky; a delightful spectacle popular with audiences," said New Jersey Ballet Director Carolyn Clark. "It's also a wonderful opportunity for the company to present another full length ballet available to the people of New Jersey. And we were thrilled that it made the Star-Ledger's Top Ten list."

Don Quixote was staged by New Jersey Ballet principal dancer Albert Davydov. Don Q is his first project of this size and scope. Asked why, Albert states simply, "It is my favorite ballet." The 32 year-old dancer has performed it numerous times both in Russia and in the U.S., dancing in that time nearly all the parts. "It has a lot of action and it's fun. Also, it is classical, which is a style our dancers like and do well." Mr. Davydov and NJB principal dancer Mari Sugawa will dance the lead roles in this production.

New Jersey Ballet's active repertory includes classical, contemporary and jazz works by the greatest choreographers in the world of dance; from Coralli, Perrot and Marius Petipa, to Balanchine, Robbins, Robert North and exciting newcomers such as Pedro Ruiz and David Fernandez. New Jersey Ballet is unique in the state for another reason: its roster includes sixteen dancers from seven countries - Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Japan, Russia and most come from the United States. These artists, with their varied backgrounds and training, create a uniquely exciting magic together.

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey. The 2012-2013 season is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support received from the F.M. Kirby Foundation and numerous corporations, foundations and individuals. The Mayo Performing Arts Center has been designated a Major Presenting Organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

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