Don Juan, the classical ballet about the womanizer
Chances are that you know a Don Juan in your life: that person who” seduces” many girls. Before the term became so well-known, there was a ballet (first staged in 1761 so around 261 years old today) with music by Gasparo Angiolini (but there is also an opera by Mozart). Angiolini listened to the principles put forward by Noverre and created the prototype of the new ballet d’action.
The performance is opened with lively music, perfect for our Spanish-inspired story. Sganarello, Don Juan’s squire wants to serenade Donna Elvira, however, our hero arrives and dances for our girl. Don Juan is encouraged by her mimic and goes to her room to hug her, but she rejects him and the hero wants to evade him before he is caught by her father. Of course, this does not happen and he has to defend himself in a duel which he wins by killing his opponent.
After this event, Don Juan organizes a party at his castle where slowly little remembrances of the father are brought (including a Donna Elvira masked and the ghost of the father). Everyone flees the castle, but Don Juan seems to be unbothered.
Then the hero goes to the cemetery to find the statue of the father. On his way, he was attacked by the spirits of the girls he had seduced, and then by demons. In the end, Don Juan descended into Hell for killing another person.
La fille mal gardée, the classical ballet about the wayward daughter
We all remember how it is to be young and rebellious, of course you know better than your mother that you have found true love.
First staged in 1789 (233 years old) with music from an unknown composer, then some modifications were made to the music (Ferdinand Herold) and choreography resulting in a new premiere in 1828.
The young Lise loves a beautiful, but poor boy (Colas), however, her mother has a different agenda: to marry her to a rich, but stupid boy. Now, the two lovers (Lise and Colas) met and declared their love. Sadly, they are interrupted by Lise’s mother who sends her daughter to do chores until her future fiancé comes to ask for her hand in marriage. He is clumsy and all his attempts of courting her result in Lise being amused of him.
After a party is interrupted by rain, the mother tries to keep Lise inside so she would not interact with Colas, but the mother is so sleepy that the two lovers meet every two minutes. Realizing this, the mother locks Lise in her bedroom…not knowing that the daughter hid Colas there. And when she discovers this (with the fiancé next to her) she realizes that true love should not be stopped.
Don Quixote, the classical ballet inspired by Cervantes
Ludwig Minkus (music) and Marius Petipa (choreography) worked together to create a beautiful ballet inspired by the book written by Cervantes. This beautiful classical ballet was first staged in 1869 (153 years old).
Alonso read a lot of books about knights and their adventures and therefore decided to become Don Quixote, a wandering knight helped by his not-so-smart squire Sancho Panza.
The action takes place in Barcelona, on a beautiful day when everyone dances. The main attraction is the couple formed of Kitri and Basilio. They are interrupted by her father who wishes to marry her to another (a recurring theme, we might say). Don Quixote and Sancho arrive in Barcelona where the people are curious about our travelers’ stories. Suddenly, our main hero sees Kitri and knows that she is the girl of his dreams. He acts and speaks like a knight from stories, and she takes advantage of him so she could escape with Basilio.
The lovers hide in the tavern but they are quickly found by the father who forces her to accept the fiancé that he wants, and also found by Don Quixote. Basilio takes his life and Kitri convinces our hero to listen to his dying wish… which is to be married to Kitri. Her father reluctantly accepts and after they are pronounced married, it is discovered that everything has been trickery.
The knight and the squire leave and find a Roma camp where they put a show for them, but it is so realistic that Don Quixote wants to save the imprisoned Roma girl and attacks them (and then he is attacked by a…windmill!).
He goes to sleep where he dreams of his beloved and when he wakes up he is invited by the Duke to a ball that is thrown, merely a way of laughing at him. In the end, Don Quixote and Sancho leave the palace.
