Don Quijote

In Øyvind Jørgensen’s version of Don Quijote the novel's extensive action-span was cut down to a minimum of extracts. The richness of the novel, on one side tragic and on the other side comical relief, was transformed from a literary language to a visual interaction combining dance, video and music.

The performance was built around four performers, with Don Quixote and Sancho Panza as the main character. The title role was danced by Bjørn "Sean" Hagen, one of Europe’s leading electric boogaloo dancers, who has worked with Atomic B-boys, Baktruppen and Kikut (Bølstad/von der Fehr), among others. Sancho Panza was interpreted by Thomas L. Gundersen, known through his work with a number of Norwegian choreographers, extensively with Odd Johan Fritzøe.

The two supporting roles, The Woman and The Man, had a wide range of characters to play with. They were being danced by Katrine Bølstad and Nils Jakob Johannesen. Johannesen danced one of three Peers in Jørgensen’s Peer Gynt nr. 371 the autumn of 2004. Katrine Bølstad has been noted for her expressive, precise dance expression in her work with Kikut and later as Lady Knot.

Choreographer and dancer Katrine Bølstad has cooperated with Bjørn "Sean" Hagen through several productions, evolving a dance language distinctly their own. The autumn of 2002 Jørgensen worked with the duo as a dancer in the performance Echoing Green. In the process behind Don Quijote the three of them developed this dance language further. All the dancers were co-creators of the performance, having contributed their knowledge and experience in shaping the movement and the movement themes.

Some text from the novel Don Quixote was performed in the production. These excerpts were translated by Arne Worren in the publisher Aschehoug & Co.’s new edition from 2002.

Source: Øyvind Jørgensen, ojprod.com, 01.08.2010, http://www.ojprod.com/prod_04-05/DQ/forestill.html