Don Quixote Part 3

Music and Props

Music

Dancers tell the story with movements, not words, so ballet relies heavily on musical cues. Dancers also use the music to remember their choreography and stay together while performing.

Click to listen to a short excerpt from Don Quixote

A composer is a person who writes music. The music for the ballet of Don Quixote was composed by Ludwig Minkus and it was considered his first great success as a composer. A year aCer the ballet was premiered he was appointed the official composer of ballet music to the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg.

In 1869, choreographer Marius PeLpa premiered his version of Don Quixote at the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia, accompanied by a

commissioned score by Ludwig Minkus.

For more informaLon about Minkus’s score click this link Colour and Contrast from the Royal Opera House

How does music tell you when something scary is happening in a movie? What kind of music do you expect during Don Quixote? Classical? Spanish? Does anyone in your family play a musical instrument? Which ones?

To listen to the Don Quixote full score click this link Don Quixote

Props

What kind of props do you use in your dance class? Spots? A hula hoop?

What props do see in these pictures from Don Quixote?

Connect the props Draw a line connecLng the dancer to the prop they use.

Don Quixote

Espada the Bullfighter

Kitri

Basilio Fan

Cape

Book

Guitar

Paper fan video directions

Paper fan step by step direction Guitar Crafts

Watch how these props are used in Don Q with Cynthia Harvey and Mikhail Baryshnikov

Video Link

Make your own paper fan or guitar and choreograph a dance

We miss you! Send us a picture of a prop you made, a video of you dancing, or tell us what you like about Don Quixote.

school@ballethispanico.org