The Tamesis
Holmes later told Fashion How an early exposure to dance helped shape her path to the performing arts. “I come from a very athletic family, but as a baby my mom recognized that I was different and enrolled me in dance classes,” Holmes said, noting that this influenced her desire to support other performers. “I feel like all art forms are interconnected. A lot of performance happens in your body, and dancers are born with that. I learned a lot from ballet; even a little expression of an arm can tell a whole story.”
Guests also sampled the delicious flavors of Jaffe’s as they enjoyed a dinner of Chilean Sea Bass and mini desserts including Cipriani Chocolate Cake Slices Don Quixote. One of the most popular full-length ballets in the classical canon, its iconic choreography (created by Marius Petipa and music by Ludwig Minkus) has remained largely unchanged in the more than 150 years since it was performed at the Bolshoi Theater.
Don Quixote Mikhail Baryshnikov’s work finally found its way into the ABT repertoire in 1978, with subsequent versions staged by Vladimir Vasiliev in 1991 and Kevin McKenzie in 1995. Loosely adapted from Miguel de Cervantes’ Spanish novel of the same name, the ballet follows the adventures of a delusional knight errant, although its real protagonist is Kitri, a spirited country girl. In order to marry her barber boyfriend, she went against her father’s wishes and married a nobleman.
Jaffe, a former principal dancer with ABT who has performed Kitri in the company’s three previous productions, approaches this work from a dancer’s unique perspective. “I just wanted to give him a haircut,” she said. “It’s hard to stay focused now. I cut out some of the pantomimes and the big group dances – I think everyone is waiting to see the last 32 fouettés.”
For Wednesday night’s performance, she went a step further, condensing three performances into just 38 minutes and assigning a different cast of Kitris and Basilios to each performance. “This is Reader’s Digest Jaffe said. “I realized you didn’t even need a tavern scene, just Don Q asking his father to let them get married,” she said. She was referring to a comedic scene involving a faked death plot used to trick Kittery’s father into approving the engagement. ABT conductor David LaMarche helped shape the musical editing.
Still visibly excited by the night’s energetic spectacle, Holmes reflected on the demands of pointe dancing. “I really admire the dancers. Ballet is so difficult and their endurance is amazing – like those flower dances that just keep moving,” she praises.
Later in the evening, company members and dance enthusiasts alike brought the same energy to the dance floor (sans pointe shoes) for an after-party hosted by DJ Runna.
