Ballet San Jose in "Don Quixote"
Staged by Wes Chapman
George Daugherty, Music Director and Conductor
February 15-17, 2013
Act I - The Village Courtyard 
José Manuel Carreño as Basilio and Junna Ige as Kitri 
Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun as Mercedes
Damir Emric as Don Quixote and Ramon Moreno 
Sancho blows his horn.
Act II. Scene 1 - Gypsy Camp and the Windmill 
Junna Ige Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun as Queen of the Dryads 
Act II. Scene 2 - Don Quixote's Enchanted Dream 
Junna Ige and Maykel Solas as Basilio Basilio's "death" scene 
Act III. Scene 2 - The Wedding 
Ramon Moreno as Sancho Panza and Damir Emric as Don Quixote.
Photo by Chris Hardy.
The Saturday Educational Matinee was attended by over 400 children and their families. Kids got free ballet workbooks, free dance lessons, storytime with a student from the ballet school, and the chance to decorate fans to take home with them.
Photos by Lee Kopp 
"The family matinee attended by dozens and dozens of children gives me hope that there will be a future audience for ballet. Possibly Don Quixote is an even better introduction to ballet than Nutcracker, as I am impressed also by their rapt attention and generally good behavior throughout the performance."
Aimee Tsao
Dance Tabs
Watching the performance, I could almost feel the warm Spanish sun emanating from the inviting haciendas on stage as Spanish ladies and gents, Gypsies, toreadors, Dryads and assorted townspeople danced with multi-colored whirling skirts and capes.
Lynne Jones
The Stunning Post"[Junna Ige] is a refined yet strong technician who sails through the air like a feather and knocks out sequential pirouettes and staccato steps as if carving them into space. Fearless in her attacks and yet soft and yielding into back bend, Ige brought all of these qualities to an adorable Kitri. The handsome Carreño impressed with his assurance. Rock solid in the one-handed lifts, he turns beautifully and partnered Ige securely. To see him drop her from an overhead lift into a fish dive was breathtaking."
San Jose Mercury News,
Rita Felciano
"An indirect import from ABT was guest artist José Manuel Carreño, who danced the role of the disarming yet impecunious barber Basilio. His was a star performance filled with charm. This is a cavalier who can easily toss off five immaculate pirouettes and still be there in time to catch his partner."
"As the crisp, elegant street dancer Mercedes, Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun almost bourréed away with every scene she appeared in, flashing coquettish glances at matador Rudy Candia."
"…an effervescent evening."
Mary Ellen Hunt
San Francisco Chronicle
"Rudy Candia is a stellar Espada. His tempi throughout are strong and inspired and capture the simmer beneath the surface that is essential in Spanish character dance." "Alexandra Meijer takes to her coquettish role [Kitri] with great sparkle and enthusiasm."
Toba Singer, Dance Tabs
"[Junna] Ige reflected the character's intention, personality and joie de vivre…she was embodying Kitri. Maykel Solas, as Basilio, had some brilliant moments including his Act I pirouette series—anyone who can manage four/five rotations to the left, while slowing down to hold the final pirouette position on demi-point deserves some extra praise."
Heather Desaulniers
Ballet-Dance Magazine
Act I - The Village Courtyard
José Manuel Carreño as Basilio and Junna Ige as Kitri
Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun as Mercedes
Damir Emric as Don Quixote and Ramon Moreno
Sancho blows his horn.
Act II. Scene 1 - Gypsy Camp and the Windmill Junna Ige Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun as Queen of the Dryads Act II. Scene 2 - Don Quixote's Enchanted Dream Junna Ige and Maykel Solas as Basilio Basilio's "death" scene Act III. Scene 2 - The Wedding
Ramon Moreno as Sancho Panza and Damir Emric as Don Quixote.
Photo by Chris Hardy.The Saturday Educational Matinee was attended by over 400 children and their families. Kids got free ballet workbooks, free dance lessons, storytime with a student from the ballet school, and the chance to decorate fans to take home with them.
Photos by Lee Kopp "The family matinee attended by dozens and dozens of children gives me hope that there will be a future audience for ballet. Possibly Don Quixote is an even better introduction to ballet than Nutcracker, as I am impressed also by their rapt attention and generally good behavior throughout the performance."
Aimee Tsao
Dance Tabs
Watching the performance, I could almost feel the warm Spanish sun emanating from the inviting haciendas on stage as Spanish ladies and gents, Gypsies, toreadors, Dryads and assorted townspeople danced with multi-colored whirling skirts and capes.
Lynne Jones
The Stunning Post"[Junna Ige] is a refined yet strong technician who sails through the air like a feather and knocks out sequential pirouettes and staccato steps as if carving them into space. Fearless in her attacks and yet soft and yielding into back bend, Ige brought all of these qualities to an adorable Kitri. The handsome Carreño impressed with his assurance. Rock solid in the one-handed lifts, he turns beautifully and partnered Ige securely. To see him drop her from an overhead lift into a fish dive was breathtaking."
San Jose Mercury News,
Rita Felciano
"An indirect import from ABT was guest artist José Manuel Carreño, who danced the role of the disarming yet impecunious barber Basilio. His was a star performance filled with charm. This is a cavalier who can easily toss off five immaculate pirouettes and still be there in time to catch his partner."
"As the crisp, elegant street dancer Mercedes, Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun almost bourréed away with every scene she appeared in, flashing coquettish glances at matador Rudy Candia."
"…an effervescent evening."
Mary Ellen Hunt
San Francisco Chronicle
"Rudy Candia is a stellar Espada. His tempi throughout are strong and inspired and capture the simmer beneath the surface that is essential in Spanish character dance." "Alexandra Meijer takes to her coquettish role [Kitri] with great sparkle and enthusiasm."
Toba Singer, Dance Tabs
"[Junna] Ige reflected the character's intention, personality and joie de vivre…she was embodying Kitri. Maykel Solas, as Basilio, had some brilliant moments including his Act I pirouette series—anyone who can manage four/five rotations to the left, while slowing down to hold the final pirouette position on demi-point deserves some extra praise."
Heather Desaulniers
Ballet-Dance Magazine
| Act I - The Village Courtyard | |
 | |
José Manuel Carreño as Basilio and Junna Ige as Kitri  Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun as Mercedes | |
 | |
Damir Emric as Don Quixote and Ramon Moreno  Sancho blows his horn. | |
| Act II. Scene 1 - Gypsy Camp and the Windmill | |
 |  |
| Junna Ige | Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun as Queen of the Dryads |
 | |
| Act II. Scene 2 - Don Quixote's Enchanted Dream | |
 |  |
| Junna Ige and Maykel Solas as Basilio | Basilio's "death" scene |
 | |
| Act III. Scene 2 - The Wedding | |
 Ramon Moreno as Sancho Panza and Damir Emric as Don Quixote. Photo by Chris Hardy. |  |
| The Saturday Educational Matinee was attended by over 400 children and their families. Kids got free ballet workbooks, free dance lessons, storytime with a student from the ballet school, and the chance to decorate fans to take home with them. Photos by Lee Kopp | |
 | |
| "The family matinee attended by dozens and dozens of children gives me hope that there will be a future audience for ballet. Possibly Don Quixote is an even better introduction to ballet than Nutcracker, as I am impressed also by their rapt attention and generally good behavior throughout the performance." Aimee Tsao Dance Tabs | |
 Watching the performance, I could almost feel the warm Spanish sun emanating from the inviting haciendas on stage as Spanish ladies and gents, Gypsies, toreadors, Dryads and assorted townspeople danced with multi-colored whirling skirts and capes. Lynne Jones The Stunning Post | "[Junna Ige] is a refined yet strong technician who sails through the air like a feather and knocks out sequential pirouettes and staccato steps as if carving them into space. Fearless in her attacks and yet soft and yielding into back bend, Ige brought all of these qualities to an adorable Kitri. The handsome Carreño impressed with his assurance. Rock solid in the one-handed lifts, he turns beautifully and partnered Ige securely. To see him drop her from an overhead lift into a fish dive was breathtaking." San Jose Mercury News, Rita Felciano "An indirect import from ABT was guest artist José Manuel Carreño, who danced the role of the disarming yet impecunious barber Basilio. His was a star performance filled with charm. This is a cavalier who can easily toss off five immaculate pirouettes and still be there in time to catch his partner." "As the crisp, elegant street dancer Mercedes, Nutnaree Pipit-Suksun almost bourréed away with every scene she appeared in, flashing coquettish glances at matador Rudy Candia." "…an effervescent evening." Mary Ellen Hunt San Francisco Chronicle "Rudy Candia is a stellar Espada. His tempi throughout are strong and inspired and capture the simmer beneath the surface that is essential in Spanish character dance." "Alexandra Meijer takes to her coquettish role [Kitri] with great sparkle and enthusiasm." Toba Singer, Dance Tabs "[Junna] Ige reflected the character's intention, personality and joie de vivre…she was embodying Kitri. Maykel Solas, as Basilio, had some brilliant moments including his Act I pirouette series—anyone who can manage four/five rotations to the left, while slowing down to hold the final pirouette position on demi-point deserves some extra praise." Heather Desaulniers Ballet-Dance Magazine |
