Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg Performs Don Quixote At State Theater 5/13

PlayhouseSquare is delighted to bring Russia's Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg to Cleveland to perform Don Quixote, or Fantasies of a Madman at the State Theatre for three performances. This limited engagement will be the last stop of an exclusive tour that will travel to Chicago, Costa Mesa, San Francisco and eventually Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare May 13-15th.

Vice President of Theatricals, Gina Vernaci, states, "It has been nearly 9 years since the Eifman Ballet last graced the stage of the State Theatre. Adding to the treat of their return is this opportunity to attend this extraordinary production of Don Quixote, or Fantasies of a Madman. We are certain that this remarkable and influential company will delight both ballet aficionados and newcomers alike."

One of today's most original and adventurous choreographers, Artistic Director Boris Eifman has revolutionized dance with his imaginative story ballets. Eifman uses his Russian heritage and classical ballet training to create compellingly-original dance dramas. New twists are added to well-known stories when brought to expressive life by his adventurous and innovative company. In Don Quixote, or Fantasies of a Madman, Eifman takes a new look at this famous Russian ballet.

Set in an asylum, the story focuses on its bizarre and pitiful inmates. Among them is a crazy dreamer whose imagination is fed by the magic world of books. The dreamer believes he is the Spanish knight, Don Quixote, and inspires his fellow inmates with his daydreams of the beauties of Spain. With Choreography by Boris Eifman, the production is set to the music of Ludwig Minkus, with Scenery and Costume Design by Vyacheslav Okunev and is inspired by Spanish author, Miguel de Cervantes' novel Don Quixote.

Award winning and world - renowned choreographer Boris Eifman (Artistic Director/Choreographer) has created over 40 ballets, and is one of the few Russian choreographers to have sustained such a prolific creative life in recent decades. Eifman was born in Siberia and received his education at the choreographic department of the Leningrad Conservatory. In 1977 he founded The New Ballet of Leningrad (now known as the St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theater, or Eifman Ballet) - Russia's first and only ballet theater dedicated to performing works by a single choreographer. With his new ballet troupe, he created an original choreographic style based on classical ballet and infused with the spirit of contemporary choreography. He has also brought up a group of like-minded artists for whom nothing seems impossible.

His phenomenal company is comprised of many of today's finest dancers. For this production of Don Quixote, or Fantasies of a Madman, two company members will alternate in each lead role. The roles are as follows:

Patient who imagines himself as Don Quixote, Sergey Volobuev, Oleg Gabyshev.

The Girl from tavern/ Dulcinea, Don Quixote's dream, Anastasia Sitnikova, Yulia Golitsyna

Patient who imagines himself as Sancho Panza, Alexander Melkaev, Anatoly Grudzinsky

Doctor in a madhouse, Yulia Manzheles, Anastasia Sitnikova

Kitri, Nina Zmievets, Natalia Matsak

Basil, Dennis Nedak, Ivan Zaytsev

Gamache, the rich nobleman, Vladimir Dorokhin, Dmitry Fisher

Lorenzo, Kitri's father, Igor Poliakov, Alexander Ivanov

In creating his style, Eifman worked through many paradigms and styles of movement, turning his theater into a creative lab for exploration and discovery. Concerned above all with the theatrical impact of his productions, Eifman does not restrict himself to the conventions of pure classical ballet. His works are each a complex, all-encompassing spectacle, constantly revealing new forms and principles of dance-making. Using the language of movement and expressive dance steps, dynamic and riveting mass action scenes, unexpected moments of stillness where movement becomes a metaphor, and innovative partnering, Boris Eifman creates his own type of theater - a theater ruled by emotion.

Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg is presented under the management of Ardani Artists Management, Inc.

PlayhouseSquare encourages all guests to "Plan Your Visit" ahead of time by visiting playhousesquare.org and clicking the "Plan Your Visit" tab where directions, parking information, dining options, lodging, ticketing policies and other useful information designed to enhance guest experiences at PlayhouseSquare exist. Whether their visit is the first or one hundred and first, PlayhouseSquare is committed to making guest experiences both as memorable and hassle free as possible.

This performance engagement is a part of the Smart Seats program at PlayhouseSquare that offers smart entertainment at a smart price. For more information on Smart Seats, visit playhousesquare.org/smartseats.

Don Quixote, or Fantasies of a Madman will have three performances at PlayhouseSquare's State Theatre from May 13 - 15. Tickets range in price from $10 - $65 each. To order tickets call (216) 241-6000, visit The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office or log onto PlayhouseSquare.org. Special discounts are available for groups of 15 or more, by calling (216) 664-6050 x1.

Performance Schedule:
May 13 @ 8:00 p.m.
May 14 @ 8:00 p.m.
May 15 @ 2 p.m.