#TBT: Paloma Herrera in "Don Quixote" (1998)

November 28, 2001

Don Quixote
‘s flirtatious and spunky Kitri is an exciting character for ballerinas to portray—any role is fun if it includes a prop fan! But it’s also an important stepping-stone in a dancer’s professional career, alongside Juliet, Odette/Odile and Aurora. In this 1998 recording, Paloma Herrera masters the role, raising the standard for future Kitris in only her third year as principal dancer for American Ballet Theatre. As she dances this variation, Herrera consumes the stage, abandoning all fear. She enraptures her viewers with both expansive movement and a simple succession of petits emboîtés. After a 24-year career, Herrera will retire her pointe shoes later in 2015—but we will all continue to thirst for her energetic and captivating performances. Happy #ThrowbackThursday!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=VMOPF4WYYLE