See all informations
Don Quixote
Opéra Bastille - from 21 March to 24 April 2024
On sale 17 October 2023 from 12 p.m
Don Quixote
Rudolf Nureyev
On sale 17 October 2023 from 12 p.m
Opéra Bastille - from 21 March to 24 April 2024
2h50 with 2 intervals
-
Opening night : 21 March 2024
About
Listen to the synopsis
In few words:
Inspired by Marius Petipa’s choreography, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote is a true celebration of dance with a Spanish flavour. The soloists and the Corps de Ballet are carried away in ensembles and pas de deux to the strains of a spirited score. Written in the 17th century, Cervantes’ novel recounts the adventures of Don Quixote, an idealist and bookworm who one day decides to ride across Spain with the naive Sancho Panza. In Nureyev’s ballet they meet Kitri and Basilio. The two lovers use every trick in the book – from a puppet performance to a fake suicide – to be reunited, despite Kitri’s father’s resistance. In the end it is Don Quixote who delivers the happy ending after battling windmills and crossing paths with Cupid, Dulcinea and the Queen of the Dryads. The costumes and colourful sets sublimate a vivacious and entertaining work.
- Opening
- 50 mn
- 20 mn
- 45 mn
- 20 mn
- 35 mn
- End
-
Don Quixote
Ballet in a prologue and three acts
Choreography after Marius Petipa
Performances
Book your tickets today with the Season Pass
Available in audiodescription
Advantages
Full
Book your tickets today with the Season Pass
Available in audiodescription
Advantages
Full
Up to -20% on this show.
Subscribe
Gallery
Audio clips
Don Quichotte - Acte 1
Don Quichotte - Acte 2
Don Quichotte - Acte 3
Don Quichotte - Extrait 2
Backstage
-
Video
Draw-me Don Quixote
-
Video
Don Quichotte from every angle
-
Video
Becoming Don Quixote
-
Article
The tutu, queen of dance costumes
01:40’
Video
Draw-me Don Quixote
Understand the plot in 1 minute
Inspired by the choreography of Marius Petipa, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote is no less than a festival of dance that shines the limelight on the soloists and Corps de Ballet in a wide variety of ensembles and pas de deux. At the heart of the ballet, the lovers Kitri and Basilio use every ruse – from farce to fake suicide – to be united despite the resistance of Kitri’s father. It is ultimately the Man of La Mancha who triggers the happy dénouement, after battling windmills and encountering Cupid, Dulcinea and the Queen of the Dryads. The shimmering, Spanish‑influenced costumes bring additional zest to a lively and delightfully amusing production.
© Julien Benhamou/OnP
05:57’
Video
Don Quichotte from every angle
Interview with Paul Marque, Susanne Dangel and Sabrina Mallem
02:55’
Video
Becoming Don Quixote
An encounter with the dancer Yann Chailloux
Accustomed to composition roles, dancer Yann Chailloux is assuming the guise of Don Quixote for a new time. Having lost none of his childhood wistfulness, he finds himself in the footsteps of the Man of La Mancha, that impassioned romantic and avid reader of courtly novels who imagines himself as a knight. Nevertheless, the dancer and the old man have far more in common than it might seem at first glance.
© Eléna Bauer / OnP
Article
The tutu, queen of dance costumes
An interview with Martine Kahane and Anne-Marie Legrand
02’
The word “tutu” only entered current usage around 1881. Where did the term originate?
Martine Kahane: The term “tutu” has three possible origins, although none of them have been confirmed. First of all, we think it may refer to the costume’s double layer of tulle. However, “Tutu” could also be interpreted as an endearing term for a young girl's behind. Then again, the word may find its root in the suggestive expression “panpan tutu” (a French term for a spanking) used jokingly by the Opera’s subscribers in days gone by.
How did the tutu come into being?
M.K.: It marks a stage in the evolution of dance costumes. If we go back to the costumes for the court ballets, we can see they tried all types of costumes made out of fabrics somewhat on the heavy side. The advent of the tutu is also interwoven with the history of textiles: as time passed, court, civil and stage costumes all became increasingly lighter—until the Victorian era would once again constrain women with starched, high-neck collars, long floor-length skirts and long, tight-fitting sleeves.
Essentially speaking, the advent of the tutu in the 1830s coincided with an extremely rich artistic environment. Initially—and particularly in the case of La Sylphide—the romantic tutu resembled a summer dress, falling to mid-calf, with a modest décolleté and little “balloon” sleeves. With the passage of time, the dress would become shorter and take on greater volume. The sleeves would disappear and the décolleté become ever more pronounced. Finally, decorative elements would be added to the bustier and the platter to result in the tutu we know today—that is to say, a shorter one which facilitates the movement of the legs and the upper body. The fantasy value of the tutu would be such that long, short, and straight versions of the tutu would follow.
What image of a woman was moulded by the different artistic and literary movements of the 19th century?
M.K.: In the eyes of many of the great romantic artists, the world had been spoiled by materialism and they would strive to make it a magical place again. All the artistic movements would conjure up mysterious creatures, ethereal women who existed more as spirits than actual creatures of flesh and blood. A woman was neither a wife nor a mother: she was an eternal fiancée, who, just as in love, could only find fulfilment in death. A woman was condemned to wear white, the colour of purity. Henriette de Mortsauf, the heroine in Honoré de Balzac’s Lys dans la vallée, is testimony to the quasi-equivalence between literary heroines and the female characters in romantic ballets.
What were the reasons for the transition from the (longer) romantic tutu to the (shorter) academic one?
M.K.:
The entire history of the dance costume is linked to technique and body
developments, in turn linked to the canons of beauty and to health and decency.
As the movement of the arms and legs became more pronounced, there was a desire
to show more of the body in order to better highlight the technique. This would
ultimately lead to the leotard, the symbol of a completely liberated body. With
the increased popularity of sport, a healthy body became something that needed
to be shown off. Finally, cinema also changed our notions of acceptable
behaviour as well as our relationship with the body: given that the body is not
physically in front of the audience, the actress, like the spectator, could
free herself of many things. Of course, tutus also got shorter after the First
World War, as they did again after the Second due to the fact that raw materials
were so hard to come by.
What types of academic tutus were made when you first arrived at the Atelier Flou?
Other than not having a cerclette, how can you differentiate a g lette tutu from a cerclette tutu?
What are the principal stages in the making of a tutu?
*The Atelier flou is the workshop responsible for making the women’s costumes (at the Palais Garnier, it makes costumes for the ballet productions, and at the Opéra Bastille costumes for the lyric ones).
Quiz
Discover opera and ballet in another way
Dive into the Opera world and get insights on opera and pop culture or ballet and cinema. Scan this code to access all the quiz and blindtests on your mobile.
Find this show in the following subscriptions
On-site Services
-
Cloakrooms
Free cloakrooms are at your disposal. The comprehensive list of prohibited items is available here.
-
Bars
Reservation of drinks and light refreshments for the intervals is possible online up to 48 hours prior to your visit, or at the bars before each performance.
-
Boutiques
A selection of works items are available on our various boutiques: Online store and The Opéra Bastille Shop.
-
Last-minute tickets
Special reduced rates for people under the age of 28, unemployed and seniors over 65 are available.
-
Parking
You can park your car at the Q-Park Opéra Bastille. It is located at 34 rue de Lyon, 75012 Paris.
Recommendations
