Don Quixote act 1 by Anastasia and Denis Matvienko and Maribor Ballet

Don Quixote act 1 by Anastasia Matvienko, Denis Matvienko, toreador Matjaz Marin Street Dancer Galina Chaika and Maribor Ballet. Music by Ludwig Minkus, choregraphy by Marius Petipa. Taken on 19.10.2013 at Savcor Ballet Festival 2013, Mikkeli, Finland.

Anastasia Matvienko was born at 1982 in Sevastopol, Ukraine. From 1996 to 2001 Anastasia studied at Kiev State Choreographic school. From 2001 to 2007 she was the first soloist of National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. From 2007 to 2009 Anastasia was a principal dancer of Opera and Ballet Mikhailovsky, St. Petersburg, Russia. March 2009 Anastasia became a first soloist of Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Denis Matvienko was born in 1979 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. From 1989 to 1997 he studied at Kiev State Choreographic School. At June 1997 became the principal ballet-dancer of National opera and ballet theatre of Ukraine. From March 2001 to March 2002 he worked at Mariinsky Theatre (St. Petersburg) as the leading ballet dancer. At January 2003 Denis returned to Kiev state theatre of opera and ballet as principal dancer. From October 2007 to March 2009 Denis was a principal dancer of Mikhailovsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia. Starting from March 2009 – principal dancer of Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Don Quixote was brought from Russia to other countries first by Anna Pavlova’s company in 1924 in an abridged version of Gorsky’s 1902 production, though the full-length work was not staged abroad for many years. The famous Grand Pas de Deux from the ballet’s final scene was staged in the west as early as the 1940s. The first full revival of the original Russian production to be staged in the West was by Ballet Rambert in 1962. In 1966 Rudolf Nureyev staged his version for the Vienna State Opera Ballet, with Minkus’ score adapted by John Lanchbery. In 1973, Nureyev filmed his version with the Australian Ballet, and Robert Helpmann as Don Quixote. Mikhail Baryshnikov mounted his own version in 1980 for American Ballet Theatre, a production that has been staged by many companies, including the Paris Opera Ballet.

Ballet photographer Jack Devant © with kind permission of the Savcor Ballet, special thanks to Sofia Rekola.