The Laughing Wolf

Russian National Ballet: Don Quixote

Wow. Oh Wow. If this group is coming anywhere near you, as in within 200 miles, don’t walk but run to get tickets. For more information on the company, go here.

The evening began a bit early, since I decided to beat the traffic and crowds and go down early. This also gave me a chance to walk downtown and hunt for some new restaurants/nightlife I had heard about. Didn’t find what I was seeking, but did find a new bistro that does wonderful tempura mushrooms. As it turned out, my favorite wine pusher wholesaler was there pushing some wares, so I found myself with a nice glass of Haven to try while enjoying my enoki, shitake, crimini, and other assorted fungi. Both wine and fungi were delicious and I am going to have to see about checking out that Haven a bit more.

I finished my dinner with enough time to walk back, put my book in the car, and take care of other necessities before entering the performance hall. The hall is an odd design on seating, since the only entry are wall aisles – no side or center aisle(s). Fortunately, I was to one side so this was not a difficulty. As it turns out, the center (choice) seats went very early. Like most theatre (as in play/playhouse) seats, they are designed for a generation or two back, so I and the people on either side of me had to sit a bit sideways in the seats to keep our shoulders from overlapping too badly.

Yet, that is noted only in passing, because I barely noticed the seat once the production started. It takes true skill and talent to play bumbling, stumbling, fumbling without your feet missing a beat. I knew within about five seconds that the lead was good. Not long thereafter, when Sancho made his appearance, I knew he was good as well, and that I was in for a treat.

This was the first time I’ve ever gone to live ballet, and I will never again settle for tape or tube. My seat was within 10 feet of the stage, and the only problem I had was that it was so easy to get caught up in particulars that you could miss the whole. The leads, of course, were excellent but it was the supporting cast that often caught my eye. They played their lineless parts magnificently, miming lines or making comments to one another in time with the mimed lines, and truly set the stage for the leads.

The costuming was magnificent, and the swirls and whirls of colour from the supporting dancers was mesmerizing. The dancer playing the role of Basilio was quite good, and his costume generated a good bit of talk amongst ladies ranging from near-adolescent to well preserved. The rear was indeed all his, but for all the rest I must suspect padding on him and all other male performers. Sancho was very well padded, and that he could dance in that outfit at all is a testimony to the skill of Mr. Alexander Rupychev.

His padding was a bit different. Picture if you will a woman nine months pregnant, but only sticking out in front. Then add to that a rear end the width of a Mack truck. That was what he had to dance and leap in, and he did it so well. His comedic timing was impeccable, and in any lesser company he would have stolen the show. That he could not speaks volumes about the other performers, and that he did not speaks volumes about him.

To my untrained eye, the performance was almost flawless. I suspect that something might not have gone quite right a time or two, because of what happened with a couple of the supporting/side dancers. Because of my seat, I had a very clear view of them as they were almost right in front of me. I could have sworn one time that I saw one of them roll their eyes, and another time two of them almost busted out laughing at something. There was nothing center stage that I could see, so I tend to suspect that something off stage got them. This was not a distraction to me, but added some spice to the performance. It was part and parcel of them playing their roles. Combined with the magnificent performance and technical abilities of the leads, it made for a truly wonderful performance.

If you do go get to see this troupe, do not miss the second half of the show. This is where the choreographers let the individual dancers shine. Almost everyone gets a chance to show what they can do, from the leads to the Grand Pas performers, to the rest of the cast. Would that they had a second show, so that I could see it again. The balance, grace, and coordination can’t be described, merely envied. One dancer was twirling, spinning, and moving on one leg, and on pointe at that, for well over a minute as part of one set. How she did it, and then went on into an equally difficult set of moves, is beyond me. Basilio’s leaping took him above the heads of the other performers, and Sancho came close to that when he was cut loose. To watch one of the female leads dance and twirl, and kick a tamborine held at arm’s length above her head as she did so, is something that defies proper description. The dancer portraying Kitri/Dulcinea was simply magnificent in terms of both dance and performance.

This is a company you do not want to miss no matter what they are doing. They are headed to another performance, and may even be there now. The semi hauling the set was already parked at the dock, ready to load, immediately after the performance here. I is my strong and sincere hope that I can get to watch them again, and soon. I think most of my fellow watchers would agree, as there were many rounds of applause during the show, and a standing ovation afterwards.

On a side note, it was also good to see that the performance hall was packed, and I think it may have even sold out. Being old school in some ways, it was also good to see how many in the audience dressed for the occasion. Even the younger ballet students were in dress or gown, and quite a few of the adults were proper as well. I even saw one gentleman in a very sporty tux, and while I did not go that far I was in coat and tie appropriate for the evening. You could indeed tell a few of the engineers in the audience, but they were – I think – the minority in terms of dress. It reflects well on this community that the hall was full, that a second performance apparently could be supported, and that proprieties were clearly followed.

To sum it up: Wow. If you have the chance, go see them. This was a magnificent performance by people clearly at the top of their field.

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