Don Quixote, June 10, 2006, Wortham Center's Brown Theater

What a treat. Houston Ballet's performance of Don Quixote as chorographed by Ben Stevenson was a feast for the eyes, ears, and heart. Too bad it took me so long to write this post, or I could tell you more about it.

The cast for this performance included Gregg Garrett (a former company member) as Don Quixote, Connor Walsh as Basilio, and the enchanting Leticia Oliveira as Kitri. I've never seen someone convey so much meaning with a flip of a skirt. Ms. Oliveira and Mr. Walsh danced well together, but the final pas de deux didn't compare to the one Ms. Oliveira and Randy Herrara danced in the "Tribute to Ben Stevenson" performance in (I think) 2003. During that performance, sparks were flying, and I've seen very few other bravura performances to match, even including the most famous of dancers. (I speculate that the sparks were related to their at-the-time recent divorce.) Still, you can't top the fouetté sequence in the final section during which Ms. Oliveria repeated opened and closed her fan. (Damn, girl!) Mr. Walsh made it clear why he was cast as Basilio - the boy can jump. If he can tighten up his turns, he should have no trouble being promoted up from soloist.