Atlanta Ballet

I went to my first performance by the Atlanta Ballet last night at the brand-new Cobb Energy Center. The location was convenient and not crowded, manned by helpful volunteers who welcomed the ballet fans with black-and-white umbrellas. My friend and I were able to get $16 day-of tickets, and we watched the first part of "Dox Quixote" in the assigned seats. However, we were able to move up to more expensive (and better view) seats in the 1st balcony section during the first intermission.

The Atlanta Ballet's talented performance of "Dox Quixote" (Choreographed by John McFall, composed by Ludwig Minkus, and conducted by Dan Allcott) was fabulous. The diverse troupe represented a wide spectrum of dancers from all over the world, yet they worked well and in sync with eachother throughout. Perhaps some of my favorite moments were when young dancers twirled unsteadily, accenting the maturity of the professionals and lightening the scenes.

The choreography was quite modern and American, but although McFall tried hard to create a European feel I think he should spend time in Europe, because the feel was as if it was a very American interpretation of Spain and the story itself. Some of the dances were fabulous (please pardon my lack of appropriate ballet terminology): the twirls, spins, jumps and syncronizations were beautiful; however, the choreographer left too many people on stage it had a cluttered and confused feel, rather than that of a masterful plan. The costumes were breathetaking, but again they were confusing because there were so many different versions that the main dancers were often hard to distinguish.

My absolute favorite dance of the night (and costumes) was the gypsy dance - the dresses were beautiful, tasteful, not overdone; the main dancer - the Gypsy fortuneteller - did an amazing job of conveying emotion and not missing a step, beat, or twirl. Don Quixote himeself was the perfectly stereotypical, confused hero. Sancho Panza was comical and bounced around in his rotund self, delighting all with his mishaps as he attempted to assist his deluded master.