Men in tights: UBCs comic ballet Don Quixote

By Lee Hyo-won

As of late ballerinos have been pulling off something of a Billy Elliot on national television. But forget the chubby comedians wearing tights _ the classic comedy “Don Quixote” evokes humor in the tall tales of a Spanish knight, not in a parody of ballerinos.

The Universal Ballet Company (UBC) will restage its much-loved rendition of the ballet through March 28 in Seoul.

Marius Petipa choreographed the original four-act piece to music by Ludwig Minkus, and saw its world premiere in 1869 at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. It was inspired by the famous 18th-century novel by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, which traces the fantastic adventures of the hopelessly optimistic knight Don Quixote and his sidekick. But the ballet focuses on the romance between the barber Basil and Kitri, the daughter of an innkeeper.

UBC gave the Korean premiere of the piece in 1997, featuring revamped dance sequences by its former artistic director Oleg Vinogradov. That year, local critics named it the Best Dance Performance of 1997, and in 2000, The Times praised the UBC’s rendition as a piece of “jewel.” Last year the UBC restaged the piece to the delight of many fans.

The upcoming performance will revive the splendor of 19th-century Spanish plazas and lacy, bright red-and-black costumes from the period. Highlights of the piece are ballet sequences inspired by Spanish dances including passionate flamenco, gypsy traditions and toreador dance.

Not to be missed is the grand pas de deux in the ballet’s third act, when Basil and his beloved Kitri celebrate their marriage in a graceful adagio, male and female solo variations and a coda. The scene requires the highest level of performances from both dancers, including in particular the notoriously difficult 32-fouette and consecutive jumps. Such technicality has made “Don Quixote” a staple among the classical ballet repertory.

Fans can also look forward to the fantastic scene in which Don Quixote dreams of the beautiful Dulcinea, who dances with cupid and fairies.

“Don Quixote” will be staged six times (twice, at 3: 30 and 7:30 p.m., on the weekend) from next Friday through March 28 at Seoul Arts Center.

Six couples have been cast to share the roles of Basil and Kitri for each of the performances. Most notably, Kim Seh-yun, first soloist of the Dutch National Ballet, has been invited as a guest dancer to perform opposite UBC’s principal dancer Ohm Jae-young on March 28. During a U.S. tour in 2000, Kim was praised by The Chicago Tribune as “a supple wonder and a very waking beauty” who “proves wonderfully weightless.”

Hwang Hye-min (Kitri) and Konstantin Novoselov (Basil) will appear on Friday’s cast; Son Yoo-hee and Zheng Yu on Saturday afternoon; Kang Ye-na and Lee Seung-hyun on Saturday evening; Kang Mi-sun and Rhee Hyon-jun on Sunday afternoon; and up-and-coming dancers Han Seo-hye and Lee Dong-tak on Sunday evening. Choi Seung-han will conduct the Gangnam Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets cost from 10,000 to 100,000 won. Call (02) 580-1300.