DON QUIXOTE
Ballet of Serbian National Theatre
THESSALONIKI
Monday, May 25 2026
THESSALONIKI CONCERT HALL
🔹 The Ballet of the Serbian National Theatre, featuring 35 dancers on stage, will present on May 25 in Thessaloniki one of the most spectacular and masterful ballets of the classical repertoire, Don Quixote, combining flawless technical virtuosity, stunning costumes, strong theatricality, and humor.
🔹 The ballet Don Quixote, set to music by Austrian composer Ludwig Minkus, was first performed in 1869 by dancer and choreographer Marius Petipa. Although inspired by the famous novel by Miguel de Cervantes, Petipa’s version does not strictly follow the original story but instead focuses on the passionate love story between the beautiful Kitri and the poor barber Basilio, using the characters of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza as a narrative frame.
🔹 This two-act ballet is a true celebration of Spanish Mediterranean temperament and color, featuring elegant variations, impressive scenes, and a virtuosic Grand Pas de Deux, offering the soloists the opportunity to showcase the richness of classical ballet artistry. Characters such as toreadors, Mercedes, Gamache, gypsies, and Kitri’s friends add rhythm, energy, and visual vibrancy to the stage.
🔹 The Ballet of the Serbian National Theatre was founded in 1950. Its first choreographer and teacher was the Russian Marina Olenjina, trained in the classical ballet tradition of Saint Petersburg. The company has since developed a rich repertoire and collaborated with distinguished choreographers, performing in Italy, Romania, Egypt, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Mexico. Since 2024, the Artistic Director has been Aja Jung, an internationally acclaimed dancer and founder of the Belgrade Dance Festival.
🔹 Don Quixote, as performed by the Ballet of the Serbian National Theatre, offers a powerful experience — full of humor, passion, and dazzling technique.
INFORMATION
May 25, 2026 | 21:00
DON QUIXOTE
Ballet of Serbian National Theatre
Thessaloniki Concert Hall