‘Quixote’ dancing delicious Moscow Festival Ballet performs tale at MCA

ORONO – The name “Don Quixote” is said to mean “the one who hides himself.”

During the Moscow Festival Ballet’s production of “Don Quixote” Saturday at the Maine Center for the Arts, the pointy-bearded windmill chaser staggered through a few scenes, pointing and waving his staff, but otherwise kept himself well-hidden.

In this adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’ classic tale, with music composed in 1872 by Leon Minkus and choreographed originally by Marius Petipa, it is Quixote’s muse who takes center stage.

Inspired by a vision of the beautiful Dulcinea, Quixote and his servant, Pancho Sanza, set off seeking adventure. On their travels, they meet up with young lovers Kitri and Basilio, whose romance hits a snag when Kitri’s father, Lorenzo, decides the old and flamboyant Camacho should be her groom. Quixote sees that Kitri resembles his vision of Dulcinea, and decides to help the lovers flee.

This sets off a surreal sequence of events, in which Kitri and Basilio hide out with a band of gypsies. They put on a puppet show, in which the sharp, mechanical movements of the “puppets” show off the dancers’ precision in movement. Quixote takes the puppet show literally and believes that evil forces are chasing him, so he attacks the marionettes, charges against some invisible windmills that he mistakes for giants and collapses to the floor. While he’s unconscious, he dreams of Dulcinea. In this, the most enchanting of scenes, she plays the queen of the wood nymphs, who surround Don Quixote in a swirl of pink and lavender. While it was Quixote’s vision, this scene truly was a dream for the audience.

Of course, it has a happy ending. Quixote wakes from his dream, everyone heads to a tavern, and Kitri and Basilio later marry and live happily ever after – after an endless series of solos that, while nice at first, seemed gratuitous after a while.

The dancing was a treat, especially in the dream scene and the marionette theater, but the choreography seemed a beat or two off at other times. The costumes were like candy – sugary and delicious confections of pink tulle and swirly red and black lace, and a beaded jacket that Elvis would’ve loved. The sets, designed by Lev Solodovnikov, gave the stage depth and color.

People who went expecting more of Don probably left somewhat disappointed, but the beautiful, deft young Kitri and Basilio gave a performance that made up for the “missing” nobleman.