PABallet's 'Don Quixote' Revival More Cohesive and Fun

Pennsylvania Ballet Artistic Director Angel Corella kicks off the company's 2019-20 season with "Don Quixote," which he first staged in 2016 and continues to polish. The revival retains chunks of the minted 19th-century Imperial Russian classicism of choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.

Originally from Barcelona, Spain Corella danced the part of Basilio all over the world during his illustrious international career and as Principal at American Ballet Theater. In his revival, Corella tosses out some of the silly plot points and pantomime passages, and fuels it with a stronger (and intoxicating) fusion of Spanish dance and ballet. His 2016 run had a cobbled-together feel, this time, this time it is more cohesive and fun.

The ballet opens with a prologue that has Spanish writer Cervantes dreaming up the characters of Quixote and Sancho Panza and his fabled love for Dulcinea. Soon enough the dance action shifts to the town square where the villages are celebrating after the bullfights. Here the beautiful Kitri is flirting with the men, as Lorenzo, her father, attempts to marry her off to a wealthy suitor. Quixote enters is entranced by Kitri. Meanwhile, Kitri flirts with the handsome barber Basilio, who serenades her with his guitar, even though she's playing hard to get. They run off together and a dance drama begins.

Principal Dancers Arian Molina Soca and Mayara Pineiro completely charm as lovers Basilio and Kitri. Soca is the unfussy danseur and a most attentive partner. His high-flying double tours had a couple of corrected landings but didn't take away from his solid technical prowess. Pineiro showed equal technique with diamond-hard arabesques on pointe and the fiery precision of her 30 or so fouettes, so thrillingly paced.

Lillian Di Piazza and Sterling Baca smolder as lovers Mercedes and Espada, the Principal Matador Baca is commanding in his sinewy toreador moves. Meanwhile, the matadors' dance is a great diversion. Corella really makes this choreographically precise and lusty, not just 'stylized' with the men wielding their capes.

There is fine character dancing by Charles Askegard and Ashton Roxander as Quixote and his sidekick Sancho Panza. PB's wonderful character dancer Jon Martin also getting knowing laughs as the hapless Lorenzo, the Innkeeper. And as the stock ballet fop Gamache, principal dancer Jermel Johnson gives a complete tongue in both cheeks comic performance; and in doing so the out and proud dancer subverts the very concept of this ugly stereotype.

The gypsy camp scene features the lusty feral balletics by Nyara Lopez accompanied by the flamenco percussionist and guitarist. Also soloing is Zecheng Liang, who as the Gypsy King has a magnetic stage presence. Quixote also staggers into the encampment and tilts at the windmill thinking it is a monster, but gets knocked out by one of the blades, which cues dream sequence featuring the corps de ballet women in silvery tutus. They are led by strong performances by the flawless Oksana Maslova as the Queen of the Dryads and Kathryn Manger in the difficult role as Cupid Amor. The scene showcases the Russian Imperial classicism of the original choreography of Petipa/Ivanov, which Corella bolsters.

Composer Ludwig Minkus' score has Spanish folkloric flavors, but most of it is generic 19th-century 'ballet' music. Nice detailing by conductor Beatrice Jona Affron and the PAB orchestra. Affron making the most of Minkus' most famous passages, with a sonic dimension that sounds particularly beautiful in the Academy.

As well as consistently rotating lead casts, Corella has swelled the PAB roster, and he consistently giving PBII dancers, apprentices and 'corps de ballet' members a chance to dance in a range of roles. In program notes, Corella writes of his Spanish dance heritage: fandango, flamenco and matador choreography, which he incorporates throughout his revival. The earthy set by Ralph Funicello with its masonry arches and village grottos. was previously on loan from the San Diego Opera Company has now been acquired by PABallet, so it is a good bet that Corella wants to make this a signature story ballet in PAB's active repertory.

In November Corella follows up with a program of contemporary ballet premieres followed in December by their annual run of George Balanchine's "The Nutcracker."

Pennsylvania Ballet's production of Don Quixote runs Oct.10-20, 2019 at the Academy of Music, Broad & Locust St. Philadelphia | www.paballet.org