Performance Review: Sheejith Krishna's "Don Quixote"

Last Saturday, October 3, 2015, Sheejith Krishna (a well-known Bharatanatyam dancer from Kalakshetra) and his troupe of dancers from Sahrdaya Foundation presented the dance drama production “Don Quixote” at The Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theatre in Washington, DC. Based on Miguel Cervantes‘ novel, “Don Quixote” is about a man who loves adventure and magic and traces Don Quixote’s adventures with his sidekick and best friend, Sancho Panza.

Sheejith Krishna’s choreography was absolutely brilliant in this production! From the innovative windmill jathis to depicting the tall Sierra Mountains of España, Krishna made the entire audience experience Don Quixote’s adventures along with the characters themselves. To bring in the cross-cultural flavor of Spain, Krishna also briefly experimented with some flamenco choreography.

The music, composed by Jyothishmathi (Sheejith’s wife), was absolutely beautiful and featured some famous voices from the Chennai Carnatic Music scene, including OS Arun. Each dancer executed his or her role to perfection and performed with conviction. Their costume changes were so swift and efficient, adding to the overall believability of the story. Special shoutout to Radha Ganesan, a local dance teacher from the Washington DC area who was also part of this production.

While the production value and quality of dance was very high, it was a rather long production, around 2 hours and 15 minutes without intermission.