“Don Quixote,” is a popular dance that excites people and brings happiness to sad souls. I find it quite interesting because it coordinates dances from a diversity of places and backgrounds. The dance takes place in a series of days and most of the time the audience comes out of the auditorium with jubilation and excitement. The dance is always successful because of the intense preparations by the gifted and well-experienced managers, choreographers, artistic directors, and artists. When all these people work in harmony, the audience feels the magnitude and the quality of the work produced.
Looking at the choreography of the dance, I cannot deny the fact that there is harmony in all the operations that take place. Marius Petipa who is one of the prominent choreographers in “Don Quixote” portrays his experience through his famous works. The choreography of the dance was first done at Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow in 1869, the characteristics of the dance date to the year 1605-1615 as used by Ludwig Minkus. The choreographer wants to revive the adventures of the comic tale of Man of La Mancha that has lost popularity among the lovers of ”Don Quixote”. The most interesting thing about the choreographer is that he uses spectacular colors and choreographic fireworks that entice the audience (Barbara).
I have noticed that the ballet involves a number of activities and a variety of performers. The performance follows the story of Kitri, whereby the performers put emphasis on a marriage determined by love, not financial gain. The background of the tale is based on bullfighters and gypsies. Through involving Mary Carmen Catoya and Nathalia Arja who is the newly promoted soloist in Kitri, shows how the dance incorporates Hispanic dancers because Arja comes from Brazil. Arja brings the required energy to the dance, and she does not fear to shim here skirt because that is what they do in Brazil. Arja is very excited with the dance showing how the Don Quixote dance embrace the Brazil characteristics. Catoya who has been away on maternity leave for seven months will make a comeback. The impressive characteristics of her dance show how great she is in the ballet.
I am impressed on the involvement of Lopez who has ended her second season at MCB. She has a great potential to play in any crucial role. She is already in the peak of her performance because she was nominated as the first artist. She believes that her involvement in the dance will exhibit a high level of ballet that will entice the audience in the arena. It is not her first time to get involved in the dance. Looking on her early days in the age of 11 years she was the beneficiary of a Ford foundation. Through training in the foundation, where she become a principal dancer in the New York City Ballet for 13 years (Barbara).
The dance has gained publicity among the American people who have high expectations of having a dance in their hometown. The dance entices people because it uses different styles and features that are not familiar and well coordinated. The choreographic techniques of using spectacular colors and fireworks do not give room for boredom in the Ballet. The audience keeps on seeing new things and new designs that cannot give room of idleness or boredom. I accept the fact that the dance coordinated because the dancers and other participants in the dance had unity. The unity is shown where the dancers do a particular activity in a unified way where nobody goes out of the expectation.
The dance as a link with the activities that take place in the society, it is clear that the society is the center of all the actions that take place in the dance. Since there are very many things happening in the society, the dance incorporates a variety of activities that include; dancing, comedy, romance and bullfighting. All the activities coordinate in a systematic way in which every activity makes sense and adds value to the dance. The activities also have an inner meaning to the dance, the designers of the dance brings the variety to add flavor to the dance (Jordan).
Repetition is a form dance that enables the dance to have a larger plot and emphasize on the meaning of the dance. The most interesting dance styles are repeated in a number of times according to the situation when they are needed. Where the dance falls short is when there is inconsistencies in the works done by dancers. There is a difference between entertainment and quality work, because of the inconsistencies in the dance I can call it an entertainment because in most cases some groups had a problem of observing the order articulated to them. Sometimes they were missing steps that they were supposed to follow. The groups had an obligation of making the show more interesting, but they failed, for example, a group of toreadors had problems of snapping their capes (Barbara).
In conclusion, the dance incorporates music to give rhythm to the activities in the dance. When the dance reaches the climax, the tempo of music changes and the activities change to show that the dance is ending. Despite inconsistencies the dance remains interesting and unique to the public.
References
Barbara Marshall “Miami City Ballet brings Latin spice to ‘Don Quixote” http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/entertainment/miami-city-ballet-brings-latin-spice-to-don-quixot/nfLHg/. Accessed on 20th April 2014
Kravis Center. “Miami City Ballet presents Program IV”: Don Quixote” http://www.kravis.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=performances.detail&maxweb=2014MCBP4Z. Accessed on 20th April 2014.
Jordan Levin “Miami City Ballet’s ‘Don Quixote’ is bright but not brilliant entertainment” Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/24/4015400/miami-city-ballets-don-quixote.html. Accessed on 20th April 2014
