What makes a work survive through the ages? What makes a book never lose its relevance, or makes generation after generation gather in the theatres to experience the same performance? 

Centuries after Miguel de Cervantes wrote the world's first novel, we still have clear images of the man battling against windmills. Some of the credit goes to Picasso, who, with his drawing of Don Quixote and his companion Sancho Panza, burned the image of them into the consciousness of many. Perhaps it is also because we recognize a bit of ourselves in the anti-hero who indulges himself in knightly novels to such an extent that he thinks he is a knight himself? 

There is something about this story that never ceases to excite and move us – in the span between illusion and reality. 

Fans, castanets and Spanish skirts may not be so familiar to us here in the north – but if you have done ballet, the likelihood is high that you grew up with Don Quixote. Most dancers have this ballet in their blood in one way or another, and all the major ballet houses stage it regularly. And although it could just as easily have been titled Kitri and Basilio – because it is this couple in love who are given the most space in the ballet – the connection to our imaginary knight becomes an excuse to fill the performance to the brim with pure entertainment, and where iconic moments are literally lined up. 

Don Quixote has become an important part of the history of the Norwegian National Ballet. The legendary dancer Rudolf Nureyev created his own versions of the ballet for several companies – and when Norway had its turn in 1981, Nureyev himself entered the stage in the previous opera building in the role of Basilio. He made the role extra challenging in order to excel in front of the audience – and the female lead role of Kitri demands just as much from the dancer. 

Rarely do you see the man and the woman so equal in expressiveness and precision as in Don Quixote. There is magnificent dancing and uncensored brilliance, but also humor, warmth and unparalleled excitement. Our dancers in the Norwegian National Ballet and NNB 2 should and must hone their skills on classics like this – and how they rise to the challenge! The performance you will experience now is pure talent unleashed. 

This time, another legendary former Basilio is on hand to stage Nureyev's version. I was 16 years old when I first saw Emmanuel Thibault dance, and when I see him working with the dancers in our studios, he still has the same sparkling approach to technique, musicality and sensitivity. 

The contrast between dream and reality is the very core of the novel about Don Quixote. The ballet is also full of contrasts: between the impressive and the hopeless, between the antihero and the beautiful couple. In a way, it mirrors our proudest moments – and our less proud ones. 

And just as Don Quixote is out of step with his own time – chivalry was, after all, a bygone era in 17th-century Spain – we too have our own windmills to fight against. 

Roma have influenced European artistic and cultural expressions in countless ways. When we see a scene in the ballet Don Quixote that depicts Europe's largest minority, it is more of a fantasy based on stereotypes than a portrayal. 

It is painful to acknowledge that our classical ballets have problematic aspects. They speak so deeply to us, with their striking scenery, clean lines, and storytelling set to great music – not to mention that they form the very foundation of our art form. With no score or libretto to lean on, they could only be preserved by being physically transferred from dancer to dancer each time a production was staged. Many ballets from the 19th century have already been lost. 

It is absolutely necessary for us to stage the classical ballets, meanwhile they have much about them that is out of step with our times. 

Classical ballets are more than beauty and entertainment: They show us where we have been, so that we can chart a new course. Don Quixote has been in the Norwegian National Ballet's repertoire for 44 years – and for the first time we have put its content under the microscope. We do not believe it is right to censor the past – but the way we look at the classics should and must change. 

By also illuminating the dusty aspects of the ballet, we will ensure that the story of Don Quixote reaches our consciousness in step with the times we live in. Because art does not stand still, even if the starting point was created ten, forty or several hundred years ago: The stories we show are created anew in the encounter with us who interpret them, and with us who see them. 

Now it's your turn to encounter the story of Kitri, Basilio and the landowner who points his lance at the windmills. Welcome! 

Ingrid Lorentzen 
Artistic Director, the Norwegian National Ballet