oa Two "Don Quixote" ballet performances by M.I. Petipa

The article discusses two "Don Quixote" ballet performances choreographed by M.I. Petipa in Moscow (1869) and St. Petersburg (1871). The plot, scene arrangement, choreographic dramaturgy, and genre characteristics of both author's editions are being discussed. A connection is traced between the reimagined dance routines for the performance in St. Petersburg and the innovations introduced to the libretto. Special attention is paid to the balancing of the two female parts – Kitri and Dulcinea, entrusted in Moscow to two different dancers, and in St. Petersburg combined into one role for a ballerina. Based on the eyewitness accounts and the information regarding the state of Moscow and St. Petersburg troupes, it is concluded that it was natural for Petipa to merge both parts, while the decision to separate them for the performance in Moscow was a compromise dictated by the dancers available.