This is a proud effort by the artists of the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB), affirming their determination to bring top ballet works closer to domestic audiences.
From the novel of the same name by Cervantes, talented choreographer Marius Petipa has chosen a small branch, which is the passionate love story of Kitri, the daughter of an innkeeper and Basilio, a poor barber, to build a ballet full of energy and inspiration when combined with the music of Ludwig Minkus. After more than 150 years since its first performance (in 1869), the ballet "Don Quixote" has still conquered the world audience thanks to the delicate beauty of body language, classical ballet techniques and philosophy about love, desire, dreams... Determined to bring one of the most famous ballet works in the world to the Vietnamese stage, VNOB artists have dedicated to the audience a version that is eye-catching and full of emotions.
With a structure of 2 acts and 5 scenes, the play takes the audience into an exciting adventure interwoven between "dream" and "reality" of the knight Don Quixote. From the room and the restless sleep of the old nobleman of La Mancha, the audience is taken to the bustling Barcelona square, where crowds of townspeople are dancing, bullfighters show off their talents... And following the dramatic chase for love, the play takes the audience into the space of the Digan camping next to the windmills, into the fantasy world of the dream forest, immersed in the vibrant dances in the tavern and floating in happiness with the brilliant wedding scene of Kitri and Basilio.
On that journey, there are touching moments and humorous laughter, gracefully combined with classical ballet language and passionate Flamenco dance, bustling Castanet sounds with bold Spanish colors... In particular, the continuous transition between real and dream scenes in the play has become artistic evocations carrying the message of the desire to be loved, daring to pursue dreams...
Taking on the role of artistic director, Meritorious Artist Phan Manh Duc, Director of VNOB, said that this is the ballet work with the largest investment ever made by the Theater. The preparation and rehearsal process lasted nearly a year, with difficulties in the staging process being gradually resolved. In addition to meeting financial and time requirements, one of the biggest challenges the theater faced was how to ensure enough quality human resources to participate. “Don Quixote” requires nearly 60 actors on stage, while the human resources for ballet performances are always scarce. To find a solution to this problem, the Theater decided to coordinate with the Vietnam Dance Academy to give opportunities to potential students to play suitable roles.
Compared to other ballet works, “Don Quixote” has a higher dramatic quality, requiring the actors to not only be good at dancing but also to express the character’s personality through acting. Therefore, to ensure the integrity of the quality of the play, the Theater has carefully invited artist Pham Minh - a talented graduate of the Kiev National Ballet School, currently the Director of La SALLE Dance School (France) to coordinate with choreographer, Meritorious Artist Luu Thu Lan to stage the work.
In the context of global cultural exchange and integration, more and more international ballet companies are coming to Vietnam to perform, so the public's artistic demands are also higher, leading to more pressure on the creative team and the Opera House's actors. However, we are still determined to have an international standard version of the ballet "Don Quixote" performed by Vietnamese artists.
Meritorious Artist Phan Manh Duc, Director of Vietnam National Opera and Ballet
According to the Director of VNOB, in the context of global cultural exchange and integration, more and more international ballet companies are coming to Vietnam to perform, so the public's artistic demands are also higher, leading to more pressure on the creative team and the Opera House's actors. "However, we are still determined to have an international standard version of the ballet "Don Quixote" performed on the feet of Vietnamese artists", Meritorious Artist Phan Manh Duc affirmed.
Participating in the staging of the play, Meritorious Artist Luu Thu Lan admitted that this was her biggest artistic challenge to date, because meeting the strict requirements of both technique and acting of a massive work with a climax from beginning to end like “Don Quixote” while still being able to highlight the Spanish colors is not simple. For many months, the creative and performing team had to “sweat and cry” on the rehearsal floor in exchange for nearly two hours of “treating” the audience to a sublime artistic feast, with the appearance of hundreds of colorful costumes highlighting the powerful dance steps, blending harmoniously in a multi-layered lighting space with impressive stage effects.
The performance is a reunion of veteran and experienced ballet artists, such as Meritorious Artist Cao Chi Thanh, Meritorious Artist Phan Luong, Meritorious Artist Pham Thu Hang, Phung Quang Minh, Bui Tuan Anh... and talented young artists of the Theater such as Nguyen Duc Hieu, Vu Khanh Bang, Tran Bao Ngoc... What is special is that the young artists are given a wider stage to perform, making the vitality and freshness of the performance even stronger. Meritorious Artist Luu Thu Lan said that this is also the intention of her and the Theater when staging the performance to affirm that the predecessors are willing to pass on their experiences and opportunities to the young, so that they have more experiences, opportunities to learn, are ready to take responsibility and nurture their passion for art.
Watching a ballet with a fast and strong rhythm from beginning to end like “Don Quixote”, viewers cannot help but be surprised by the endurance and flexibility of the actors, especially the two artists who appear throughout the play: Khanh Bang (Kitri) and Duc Hieu (Basilio). For the two young artists, this is also a journey of self -discovery . They spent a lot of time researching the characters’ inner psyches to successfully portray the personalities of each role while still showing their personal mark. Playing the role of knight Don Quixote, although only playing the role of a poetic bridge in the play, Meritorious Artist Cao Chi Thanh also demonstrated the spirit of “the older the ginger, the spicier” when successfully portraying the character’s courageous spirit for love and justice.
The musical highlight is indispensable to the appeal of the play. Under the command of the “magic wand” Dong Quang Vinh, more than 60 musicians of the VNOB Symphony Orchestra brought exciting and captivating melodies from beginning to end. The ballet “Don Quixote” can be considered a proud “sweet fruit” created from the combined efforts of all creative and performing elements. It is known that after two nights of debut at the Ho Guom Theater, VNOB is planning to coordinate with a number of units to introduce this unique ballet work more widely to the public.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/ballet-don-quixote-giao-huong-cua-tinh-yeu-va-khat-vong-post891565.html
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