They impressed theatre-goers with their Festival of Russian Ballet last October, and the Imperial Russian Ballet Company did not disappoint when they returned to Brisbane for two nights only, performing Minkus’s Don Quixote in full.

Founded in 1994 by Bolshoi Theatre soloist Gediminas Taranda, the Imperial Russian Ballet has established a reputation for talent and versatility and have toured the world with both full length traditional ballets and shorter ‘divertissements’. The four acts of the original Don Quixote ballet were compressed into three for this rendition with little compromise on the plot, presenting a humorous affair that was very well-received by the audience.

Debutante Daniil Kolmin brought the endearingly misguided hero, Don Quixote, to life while Denys Simon matched him as the buffoonish Sancho Panza. They joined star-crossed young lovers Kitri and Basilio, danced by Lina Seveliova and Nariman Bekzhanov respectively, as the story followed their adventures throughout Spain.

The heady intensity of swirling toreador capes and Spanish skirts created a great sense of excitement and the grand pas de deux exceeded expectation with dramatic one-handed lifts, fish dives and seemingly endless pirouettes earning audience admiration and applause.

Intricately painted sets transported us to 17th-century Barcelona, with costuming used deftly to change the...