DON QUIXOTE BALLET WITH A EUROPEAN BALLET COMPANY ON THE STAGE OF PAPHOS MEDIEVAL CASTLE

Paphos, Cyprus — Celebrity Gala and Papadopoulos & Schinis Productions announce the classical ballet “Don Quixote,” taking place on September 25 and 26, 2026, on the open-air stage by the walls of Paphos Medieval Castle. The three-act production marks the company’s first engagement with this great classic on the Cypriot stage. A company that has already won over Cyprus The ballet will be performed by the National Ballet of Slovenia — the company of the Slovene National Theatre Maribor (SNG Maribor), led by Artistic Director Edward Clug. The name is already familiar to Cypriot audiences: the company performed on the island in September 2025 with “Zorba,” and in February 2026 with two landmark productions — “Radio & Juliet” and “Proof.” This tour marks the company’s third visit to Cyprus, and its first engagement with the great classical repertoire. Ballet Maribor is one of Europe’s leading companies, having earned international recognition over the past three decades. Today the theatre partners with venues such as the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and La Scala in Milan. In a single season, the company has performed in Dubai, Hong Kong, and São Paulo. It has taken part in the world’s major theatre festivals: the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the United States, the “Stars of the White Nights” festival at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Singapore Arts Festival, and the Seoul International Dance Festival in Korea. Igor Tsvirko and Kristina Kretova — guest soloists in the leading roles The roles of Basilio and Kitri in the Cyprus production will be danced by Bolshoi Theatre principal dancer Igor Tsvirko and Bolshoi Theatre prima ballerina Kristina Kretova — artists whose names are consistently associated with the most technically demanding roles in the classical repertoire. Igor Tsvirko holds one of the widest repertoires of the most complex male roles on the Bolshoi stage; Kristina Kretova is a prima ballerina of the company and one of its leading performers in both classical and contemporary repertoire. Both artists have performed in Cyprus before and are returning to the island once again — this time in roles widely regarded as one of the greatest tests in classical ballet: rapid variations, virtuoso technique, and the celebrated final Grand Pas de Deux that draws audiences to Don Quixote around the world. The participation of soloists of this calibre in the roles of Basilio and Kitri further confirms the Cyprus production’s standing as an event of world-class scale. Edward Clug — Artistic Director Edward Clug is a choreographer and Artistic Director of the ballet company of the Slovene National Theatre Maribor. He received his first engagement with the theatre in 1991 and has dedicated more than three decades of his career to it. In 2005 he created “Radio & Juliet,” set to music by Radiohead, which became a worldwide hit and brought him international recognition. His distinctive interpretation of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” (2012) and his first full-length narrative ballet, “Peer Gynt” (2015), established him as a defining choreographic voice of his generation. He was invited to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, where his “The Master and Margarita” caused a sensation following its premiere in December 2021. Clug was nominated for the prestigious Benois de la Danse award in 2017 and for Germany’s Der Faust theatre prize in 2019. In 2022 he was awarded the Silver Order of Merit of the Republic of Slovenia and Romania’s Medal of Cultural Merit. Krzysztof Nowogrodzki — Choreographer of the Production The choreography for “Don Quixote” is by Krzysztof Nowogrodzki, one of Europe’s most respected ballet professionals, whose career spans a world-class dancing career and decades of work with leading companies worldwide. In 1993, Nowogrodzki joined the Stuttgart Ballet, where he danced roles in works by Balanchine, Béjart, Bigonzetti, Bintley, Cranko, Haydée, Neumeier, Schaufuss, Scholz, van Manen, and other distinguished choreographers. In 1998–1999 he performed as a guest principal with the Royal Danish Ballet. In September 2002 he completed his training at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, and in December 2003 he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Birmingham. Between 2002 and 2004 he worked as a guest teacher with companies around the world — including the Stuttgart Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Ballet du Capitole in Toulouse, and the National Ballet of Slovenia in Ljubljana and Maribor. Since July 2006, Krzysztof Nowogrodzki has served as Production Director and Ballet Master of the Stuttgart Ballet. The staging of “Don Quixote” in Cyprus is thus created by someone whose professional life has been intertwined with the very company taking the stage — the result of years of collaboration, mutual understanding, and a shared artistic language. “Don Quixote”: One of the Most Demanding and Sought-After Ballets in the World Repertoire The world premiere of “Don Quixote,” choreographed by Marius Petipa, took place on December 26, 1869, at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, to great acclaim. The ballet subsequently became a cornerstone of the repertoire of both the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky Theatre. Its first performance outside Russia did not take place until 1924, when the great ballerina Anna Pavlova toured with an abridged version. Today “Don Quixote” is part of the repertoire of companies worldwide, with all modern productions tracing back to Alexander Gorsky’s version. The reason for the ballet’s enduring presence on the world’s leading stages lies in its exceptional technical difficulty. “Don Quixote” is regarded as one of the most technically demanding ballets in the repertoire and is considered a defining test for classical dancers: the way it is performed reveals a company’s true level. It is in this ballet, alongside “Swan Lake,” that dancers perform the famous sequence of 32 fouettés — one of the highest technical triumphs in classical dance. The final Grand Pas de Deux of Act III is the true climax of the performance, so self-contained that it is frequently performed as a standalone concert piece. This excerpt regularly appears in international ballet gala programs as a benchmark of technical brilliance and partnering artistry. Beyond the central pas de deux, the ballet is rich in character dance — bolero, fandango, seguidilla — demanding a rare combination of academic training and the fiery spirit of the Spanish dance tradition. This is why “Don Quixote” remains a kind of “exam” for any company: audiences and critics judge its true capabilities by this ballet. International Production Team Set design is by Juan Guillermo Nova, costumes are created by Luca Dall’Alpi, and lighting design is by Pascal Merat. Venue The performances will take place on the open-air stage by Paphos Medieval Castle, one of Cyprus’s most iconic historical landmarks, located directly on the harbour waterfront. The combination of Mediterranean landscape, medieval architecture, and grand ballet creates an atmosphere that cannot be replicated within the walls of a traditional theatre. Organizers The event is organized by Celebrity Gala together with Papadopoulos & Schinis Productions. Mega Sponsor — Cap St. Georges Hotel & Resort Cap St. Georges is more than a hotel. It is a five-star sanctuary where the Mediterranean meets the wild beauty of Akamas, and where world-class luxury is woven through with the authentic soul of Cyprus. A flagship of the island’s hospitality, Cap St. Georges actively invests in the cultural life of Paphos — which is why the grand ballet finds its natural home here. Official Sponsors — Space 307 and Creative Universe Tickets are available on the SoldOut platform and at celebritygala.eu