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<\/p>\nGulfshore Ballet performs \u201cDon Quixote\u201d on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Wang Opera Center. It\u2019s the ballet company\u2019s third consecutive appearance at Opera Naples Festival Under the Stars.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey’ve got such a great following and they just put together some really beautiful productions,\u201d said Melanie Kalnins, Opera Naples\u2019 Executive Director.<\/p>\n
This production of Cervantes\u2019 literary masterpiece features Spanish-inspired melodies, fiery characters, and original choreography by Gulfshore Ballet Artistic Directors Iliana Lopez and Franklin Gamero.<\/p>\n
The performance will also feature a mix of professional, pre-professional and student dancers. But, Kalnins said, it\u2019s hard to tell them apart.<\/p>\n
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Courtesy of Opera Naples<\/p>\n
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Opera Naples<\/p>\n
Opera Naples Executive Director Melanie Kalnins. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was sitting in the audience last year watching \u2018Sleeping Beauty,\u2019\u201d Kalnins recounted. \u201cIt takes a while before the lead dancers come on, and I just kept seeing more and more dancers come out and kept thinking, wait, are these the principals? Because the quality was so good. And then when the principals actually do come on, it’s very clear that yes, there is a quality even better, but I would say overall, clearly Iliana and Franklin know how to really train their dancers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weaving comedy, romance, and athletic virtuosity, \u201cDon Quixote\u201d is the perfect family-friendly ballet for those new to the art form.<\/p>\n
The performance is at 6:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
For tickets, telephone 239-844-SING or visit https:\/\/ci.ovationtix.com\/36391\/production\/1247263?performanceId=11678632<\/a>.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Gulfshore Ballet<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Gulfshore Ballet <\/p>\n The ballet is based on the novel ‘Don Quixote de la Mancha’ by Miguel de Cervantes.<\/p>\n MORE INFORMATION:<\/p>\n Based on the novel \u201cDon Quixote de la Mancha\u201d by Miguel de Cervantes, \u201cDon Quixote\u201d tells the story of the old hidalgo, who reads many chivalric romance novels. One day, with Sancho Panza as his squire, Don Quixote sets out on an adventure as a medieval knight to bring justice to the world and honor to Dulcinea, the lady of his dreams.<\/p>\n The novel was first adapted into a ballet in 1740 by Austrian choreographer Franz Hilverding in Vienna. A second ballet adaptation was staged in 1768 by Jean-Georges Noverre in Vienna to music by the Austrian composer Josef Starzer.<\/p>\n There were a number of other adaptations, but all were supplanted by the one produced by Ludwig Minkus and Marius Petipa in 1869. Their adaptation premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 26, 1869.<\/p>\n Petipa had spent three years in Spain studying that country\u2019s dance and culture, and he incorporated what he learned into \u201cDon Quixote,\u201d which was considered his first and most famous grand ballet.<\/p>\n Minkus\u2019 score was also his first big success as a composer. A year after the ballet premiered, he was appointed the official composer of ballet music to the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n In 1871, Petipa and Minkus revised the ballet, adding a fifth act to the original four.<\/p>\n However, modern productions are actually derived the version staged by Petipa\u2019s contemporary, Alexander Gorsky, for the Bolshoi Theatre in 1900, which streamlined the ballet to three acts and six scenes.<\/p>\n The ballet creates a world of Spanish passion and theatrical magic in an enchanting tale of love that radiates joy from every turn. \u201cDon Quixote\u201d transforms the stage into a canvas of dynamic movement, vivid imagery, and magnetic entertainment that celebrates the art form\u2019s most spirited traditions.<\/p>\n In addition to the idealistic knight, Don Quixote, the principal characters in the ballet are Dulcinea\/Kitri and Basilio. These roles are some of the most virtuosic and challenging in classical ballet.<\/p>\n Both Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali created their own illustrations of the starry-eyed knight.<\/p>\n WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n Iliana Lopez and Franklin Gomero perform in ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ ballet. <\/p>\n More about Gulfshore Ballet<\/p>\n Two years ago, Gulfshore Ballet performed \u201cCarmen\u201d at Opera Naples\u2019 Festival Under the Stars, followed last year by \u201cThe Sleeping Beauty.\u201d Both were staged outdoors in Cambier Park, but the ballet is being moved indoors this year to create a better viewing experience for audience members.<\/p>\n Gulfshore Ballet combines a long-standing school for students with a professional company.<\/p>\n Gulfshore Ballet was founded by Melinda Roy, a former principal dancer with New York City Ballet. Roy operated the school for 10 years, setting the foundation for Gulfshore Ballet to provide classical dance training and education of the highest caliber. Roy retired in 2011, but Gulfshore Ballet was fortunate to have former Miami City Ballet Principal Dancers Franklin Gamero and Iliana Lopez take over as artistic directors.<\/p>\n Iliana Lopez and Franklin Gamero were born in Valencia, Venezuela. They began their careers at Ballet Nacional Teatro Teresa Carre\u00f1o. Both went on to dance at San Francisco Ballet, Cleveland Ballet and as soloists with the Deutsche Opera Berlin and the Deutsche Opera am Rhein in D\u00fcsseldorf. In 1987, they became principal dancers with Miami City Ballet, where they remained for 18 successful years.<\/p>\n Lopez and Gamero launched Gulfshore Ballet\u2019s professional company in 2023. It debuted with a performance of \u201cCarmen\u201d during the Opera Naples Festival Under the Stars in March 2024. Lopez’s and Gamero’s exemplary reputation worldwide, along with their exclusive access to the repertoire of famed choreographer Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros, gives Florida Gulfshore Ballet unique appeal to top dancers with international reputations who are looking to advance their careers.<\/p>\n More about Festival Under the Stars<\/p>\n Soon after joining Opera Naples as artistic and music director, Ramon Tebar proposed to the board that the opera perform outdoors.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are used in Europe to go outside as soon as the weather allows us to go outside and do symphony concerts and opera, fully staged, in historical places and squares,\u201d said Tebar. \u201cI could see that happening here.\u201d<\/p>\n The board was reticent. Then the pandemic struck.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the pandemic came and we had to close all the theaters, we didn\u2019t have many options because we were performing at the Wang Center, but also Artis\u2014Naples,\u201d Tebar recalled. \u201cSo at that point, I proposed it again.\u201d<\/p>\n That led to Opera Naples\u2019 first Festival Under the Stars in 2021. The venue then was Baker Park.<\/p>\n Last year, Festival Under the Stars celebrated its fifth anniversary, and the event was bigger and more prestigious than ever.<\/p>\n For more, visit \u201cA major cultural event, Opera Naples Festival Under the Stars a boon to Naples economy.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Gulfshore](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771882030_616_.jpeg\"\/)
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