Don Quixote Ballet

Nikolaj Hübbe's stunningly beautiful ballet, based on Cervantes' immortal novel.

Don Quixote stands as one of the great, undying classics in ballet history. It portrays the unmatched duo of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, crusading for pure love and true justice.

Cervantes' 17th-century novel, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, tells the story of the idealist Don Quixote and his cunning squire, who, in their stubborn quest for truth and moral virtue, confront all manner of sorcery and wickedness. To this day, the narrative is celebrated as one of the greatest literary achievements. Indeed, time never seems to diminish this mammoth work, hailed as the first modern novel.

In 1869, the eminent choreographer Marius Petipa transformed Cervantes' story into dance. He stayed true to the original tale but also chose to highlight the young lovers, Kitri and Basil, who face an uphill battle to be united. Stylistically, he was inspired by the Spanish theme, while ensuring the production remained a classical ballet, greatly aided by Ludwig Minkus’ captivating music. In this version, Nikolaj Hübbe, with Steffen Aarfing's sublime colour aesthetics, presents the story as an extravaganza of virtuosic ballet. Southern romance, fiery women, crackling castanets and dazzling dance!

Program and cast

Expected duration: 2 hours and 40 minutes incl. 2 intervals

Conductor: Matthew Rowe
Choreography: Nikolaj Hübbe, efter Marius Petipa (Basils variation i 2. akt af Mikhail Baryshnikov)
Set Design: Steffen Aarfing
Custome Design: Annemarie Woods
Light Design: Lee Curran
Music: Ludwig Minkus

Cast - Subject to change

Conductor: Matthew Rowe
Conductor: Nick Fletcher