The Texas Ballet Theater will perform its final shows of the season this weekend. The company will end with Don Quixote, which makes its North Texas debut Friday night. The dancers rehearsed in studio Thursday to get ready for opening night.
Dancers Victoria Simo and Carl Coomer put some Latin flare into the classical ballet, which makes it different from what audiences may be used to.
"It's a lot wilder and freer. You're throwing your arms around. You're not in classical, classical positions," said Coomer, who dances the role of Gypsy King. "I hope they [audience members] clap, I hope they laugh, I hope they do lots of things."
Associate Artistic Director Tim O'Keefe says Don Quixote is a comedy that can appeal to adults and children, and it's a perfect story to end the ballet company's 50th anniversary season.
"I think it's going to be really boring when we go back to other ballets that don't have all this energy and all this clapping and snapping," said O'Keefe. "Everybody's emotions are overboard."
It's a ballet the audience can really get into.
"Everything's just about love and feelings, it's wonderful," said Simo, who plays the chief gypsy. "There's an actual horse that comes on. So it's really exciting for the audience and the company members. The costumes are elaborate and gorgeous. The dancing is exciting. There's so much passion in this ballet."
Show times are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Bass Performance Hall. Tickets range from $19 to $99. The performance is sponsored by NBC 5.
More: texasballetheater.org
