It is an Olympia tradition – for years Ballet Northwest has staged a ballet performance over Mother’s Day weekend. This year Ballet Northwest continues the tradition and is pleased to present the classic romantic comedy ballet Don Quixote at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts on Friday May 12 through Sunday, May 14.
First presented by the Ballet of the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow, Russia in 1869, Don Quixote is now a famous classical ballet performed all over the world, but mainly in larger cities. The story follows legendary hero, Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza as they journey to find Don Quixote’s love – Dulcinea. Premiered by Ballet Northwest in 2015, this Spanish-themed ballet is fun for the whole family, featuring toreadors, mysterious Gitanos, and the young couple in love, Kitri and Basilio. This comic-filled ballet includes beautiful sets and costumes, and one of the most famous duets in the world, the Act III wedding pas de deux.
“It is very exciting that we are able to offer this performance in Olympia. It is so different from the other ballets that we stage. I love the Spanish flair, the use of fans, capes and tambourines. For our Gitanos dance, we are having a renowned Flamenco teacher, Marisela Fleites-Lear, come in and stage the dances. There is also a lot of comedy in Don Quixote, which makes it fun for audiences of all ages,” said Ballet Northwest’s co-artistic director, Josie Johnson.
There are 75 dancers from Thurston, Lewis, Mason, and Pierce counties performing in the ballet. The lead male dancing role of Basilio will be danced by guest artist James Kirby Rogers, a Principal Dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. Rogers is originally from San Francisco, trained at the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts, and was a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2014. Before joining Pacific Northwest Ballet, he danced with Houston Ballet II and Kansas City Ballet.
The female lead, Kitri, will be danced by Ballet Northwest company dancer Nina Ivanenko of Lacey, who trains at Johansen Olympia Dance Center and previously trained at Oregon Ballet Theatre. Jim Eychaner, a frequent Ballet Northwest character artist, will perform the role of Don Quixote, an errant knight. Ballet Northwest presents Don Quixote with the support of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Capital Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, Nisqually Indian Tribe, Dr. Andrew J. Kapust, Olympia Federal Savings, The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, ArtsWA, Olympic Dermatology,Kell-Chuck Glass and Timberland Bank.
Don Quixote will be performed at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Olympia May 12 through 14, Mother’s Day Weekend 2023. Curtain time is 7:30pm on Friday, 5pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday. Tickets are available through the Washington Center Box Office at 512 Washington Street SE in Olympia or by calling 360-753-8566. Visit balletnorthwest.org for more information or buy tickets online at www.washingtoncenter.org.