Ballet lovers faced a difficult choice this week when two productions of "Don Quixote" were performed in Tokyo. The shows heralded the opening of the 13th World Ballet Festival, whose main program began Thursday and closes with a Special Gala on Aug. 16.
Fans deliberated between watching acclaimed veterans Tamara Rojo and Steven McRae perform Sunday or waiting for Monday's show featuring rising stars Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev. Rojo, appointed this past April as the English National Ballet's artistic director, has twirled atop the dance world as a principal for the Royal Ballet since 2000. McRae, known for his precision footwork, is also one of the Royal Ballet's top draws.
On the other hand, real-life partners Osipova and Vasiliev are former stars with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow who joined the Mikhaiovsjky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia, in December. For ballet fans on a budget, the choice between the two equally sublime selections is an exquisite quandary requiring careful consideration.