Don Quixote - Finding Adventure and Beauty in Everything...

Birmingham Royal Ballet's 2022 production of Don Quixote

"Once upon a time there was a man named Alonso Quixano. He loved to read books about chivalry, knight-errants and giants. He read so many books about knight-errants that one day he decided that he wanted to become one..."

Home to sunflowers, Manchego cheese, and of course windmills - La Mancha, Spain is a beautiful sprawling region just south of Madrid that is also home to one of the most celebrated and enjoyed romantic comedy ballets (and stories of all time), Don Quixote. Set in an unnamed local village within the region, the ballet of Don Quixote follows the adventures of Alonso Quixano (who renames himself as Don Quixote) as he sets out to follow his dream, or rather his determined mission to become a knight-errant, long after the days of medieval knights and chivalry have come and gone.

The ballet is based on the original stories published in two parts in 1605 and 1615 by Miguel de Cervantes and titled, "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha," and is a fan favorite for those new to ballet and those who are more seasoned fans. First premiered on the 26th December in 1869 by the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, the premiere was a culmination of several versions that had been staged earlier - with productions starting as early as the first publication of the book, over 100 years earlier.

The story begins with Don Quixote alone in his study, fascinated by reading old books about knights and their adventures. He is captivated by these adventures and gets so wrapped up in these ideas that he decides that he will embark on his own quest, making it up as he goes along. He enlists the help of a poor farmer (or in some versions of the ballet, his servant) Sancho Panza to accompany him on this journey. And of course his old grey horse, Rocinante.

The ballet continues on through four acts taking the audience on incredible journeys with incredible characters. Each as fun and exciting as the next. Perhaps one of the reasons that Don Quixote is such a favorite, aside from the brilliant choreography from the "father of classical ballet", Marius Petipa and the exhilarating music by Ludwig Minkus, is that the characters that embody these difference aspects of Don Quixote's imagination are as fascinating to us as audience members as they are to Don Quixote in his head. Depending on which version of the ballet you are watching, memorable characters include of course Don Quixote and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, Kitri (or Dulcinea as she is known in the book) and her father the innkeeper, her two love interests, Basilio and Gamache, a poor but charismatic barber and a goofy noblemen (respectively) and a wonderful assortment of toreadors, Spanish dancers, gypsies, faeries and of course giants posing as windmills (at least to Don Quixote that is.) The character of Sancho Panza was so beloved and endearing that in 1902 even ballet superstar Enrico Cecchetti was willing to play part instead of his usual technically difficult roles.

But before they endeavor to embark on their first adventure together, Don Quixote doesn't get far before he is swept up by his first mission as a knight, and a truly chivalrous one at that. On his way out of the village he goes by the inn and stumbles upon a "damsel in distress." This is in fact at least partly true, in that Kitri, the innkeepers' daughter is being forced into an arranged marriage by her father to a blundering nobleman, Gamache. Don Quixote decides that he is going to "rescue" Kitri by convincing her father that she should have the right to marry whomever she chooses. While he is engaged with speaking to her father Lorenzo, Kitri and Basilio sneak away together.

Don Quixote from The Rogue Swan Adventures Series, written and illustrated by immigrant students

In our version of the story, a children's book of the same name, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza then decide to leave the village in search of a proper quest and their first adventure. As they are riding through the countryside, Don Quixote comes upon a field of windmills and is immediately convinced that they are truly giants that need to be vanquished! Well, you can imagine what would happen if you ran atop a horse full speed at a 20 foot high fully operational windmill wearing 200 year old armor. Thankfully Rocinante, being as old as Don Quixote, wasn't able to run very fast. (And being that it's a children's book we only gave him a few bruises lol...)

But you have to admire his courage and sense of determination. In fact that is one of the many reasons that Don Quixote has been such an integral part of both the ballet world and popular culture. From music to movies, we've probably all seen a version or a mention of the story in our media. And there are probably as many iterations of Don Quixote the ballet as there are uses of the original story in popular culture. The many different themes throughout the story and ballet are one that we can all relate to; from bravery to self belief to a woman's independence and a right to choose. Even the belief that chivalry isn't dead is something that we as a society still hold onto in a way.

But I think for me being brave in the search of adventures despite what others are telling you to do is probably the most special of all of these. After Don Quixote recovers from his "adventure" with the windmills, he is not daunted and continues on his search for another quest. I don't want to give away the ending to this delightful ballet but nearly every version of this story leaves an open ending with Don Quixote and Sancho Panza essentially riding off into the sunset in search of new adventures. This leaves the audience to reflect that imagination and daydreams are wonderful (as long as you pair them with a little reality from time to time) and that there's nothing wrong with finding your own sense of beauty and adventure in your life every single day...

For Further Reading:

More about the Ballet:

Don Quixote: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote_(ballet) and https://petipasociety.com/don-quixote/

Meet the Characters of Don Q: https://www.balletmet.org/blog-meet-the-characters-of-don-quixote/

Marius Petipa: https://petipasociety.com/about/

Ludwig Minkus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Minkus

Enrico Cecchetti: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Cecchetti

More to watch, listen to and read:

Don Quixote performed by The Bolshoi Theatre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac_dUGQSpac

Don Quixote, children's book by The Adventures of a Rogue Swan: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LGWT13K

The Long Lasting Influence of Don Quixote: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/cervantes-don-quixote-an-endless-voyage-from-la-mancha-to-broadway