Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta presents Electric Cinema event.
Cinema and ballet fans are invited to join world-renowned dancer and Director of the city’s acclaimed Birmingham Royal Ballet for a special film screening of his acclaimed stage production Don Quixote at Birmingham’s famous Electric Cinema.
This one-off event on 27th October with Carlos follows the hugely successful live performance at Birmingham Hippodrome in February this year performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet.
The film is directed by ballet award-winning, pioneering filmmaker Ross MacGibbon who, together with his filmmaking team captured Carlos Acosta’s show at Birmingham Hippodrome, crafting a feature-length film which will delight ballet fans and new audiences alike. The film will also feature exclusive behind the scenes footage.
A ballet in three acts, Don Quixote brought an explosion of Spanish sunshine, spectacular dance and vivacious comedy to the stage during its UK tour earlier this year, thrilling and inspiring viewers and critics. The first new full-length ballet performed by the Birmingham Royal Ballet since 2015, this was the first production of Don Quixote to be seen outside of London in over twenty years.
The ballet is based on Spain’s most famous novel, Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote, which follows the adventures of knight Don Quixote and his trusted servant Sancho Panza. The ballet focuses on one of the tales in the book – that of young lovers Kitri and Basilio, whose hopes to marry risk being thwarted by Kitri’s father. A firm believer in true love, Don Quixote sets out to help the young couple find happiness.
The show features sets and costumes by award-winning designer Tim Hatley (Back to the Future, Life of Pi), a new score performed by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and stars the world-class dancers of Birmingham Royal Ballet, including 2022 National Dance Awards nominees for Best Male and Best Female Dancers Brandon Lawrence and Momoko Hirata.
“Don Quixote is the best ballet to attend if you are not a ballet connoisseur,” Carlos Acosta says. “If you don’t know anything about ballet, this is a great chance to learn about it. Don Quixote also appeals to family audiences, and it is great for children because the story is entertaining and easy to follow.”
Jean Stanton, Manager of the Electric, the oldest surviving cinema in the UK, added, “We are delighted to have the opportunity of presenting this acclaimed production on our screen and especially delighted to welcome Carlos Acosta, one of the world’s most famous dancers, to our cinema for what will be a memorable evening.”
As well as the screening of Don Quixote at the Electric Cinema, Birmingham Royal Ballet will be performing Sir Peter Wright’s much loved Coppélia live on the same night at Birmingham Hippodrome. Click here for further information.
Tickets for Don Quixote at the Electric Cinema on 27 October can be booked at electricbirmingham.com
The screening of Don Quixote at the Electric Cinema follows the film’s general release on 26 October to almost 200 cinemas across the UK. www.donquixoteballetfilm.com
Don Quixote returns to the Electric cinema on 6th November (Carlos Acosta will not be present at this screening).