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The story centres on the musician Edouard du Puy, who was the first to sing the role of Don Giovanni at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. Edouard is a promiscuous character who flirts even with the maids and is finally exposed by his long-suffering wife Louise, who in her masked costume isn't recognised by him in a festive ball. Some facts first. A controversial innovation in this new production is a dream scene added early on and set to some music from Mozart's "Don Giovanni", showing Edouard as a Don Juan figure with four temptresses. It is strangely reminiscent in style of the dream pas de deux in Cranko's ballet "Onegin", and seems to me to be totally superfluous.

The company was dancing this vaudeville ballet this week much better than at the premiere last October. The emotional power of the mime was much better conveyed this time. There was plenty of richness in the choreography, especially in the final ball scene. The Royal Danish Ballet's character dancing is still a marvel. Impressive were the hoop dance (danced by students of the Royal Danish Ballet School) and the reel dance, well contrasted by the classical pas de trois. In this classical dance Kristoffer Sakurai, just promoted to solo dancer last week, danced powerfully the entrechats and the jumps in his variation. And Diana Cuni danced joyously.
 

Peter Bo Bendixen was superb as the protaganist Edouard. Silja Schandorff danced gracefully and elegantly as his long-suffering wife Louise. Thomas Flindt Jeppesen stood out in the supporting roles as Edouard's adjutant Steffen.

"The King's Volunteers on Amager" was followed that evening by "La Sylphide", Bournonville's most famous ballet which have been staged by numerous companies all round the world. Nikolaj Hubbe, a former dancer of the company and now a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, staged this production for the Royal Danish Ballet in 2003. The choreography for the classical dancing is still the same as before and hasn't been tampered with in the least. The slight changes are in the mime which is in some cases less detailed than in the old production. The ending is however effective and powerful with Madge in total triumph over James after their final confrontation. (In the Kirov's version for instance James is alone at curtain fall, which is less theatrical.)
 

The Royal Danes' character dancing is unmatched. The reel dance in Act 1 was so vibrantly danced. Caroline Cavallo was impressive in the title role, her acting was nuanced. Jette Buchwald was a menacing Madge, but I cannot forget Sorella Englund's definitive performance in the 'mini' Festival in 2000. Mads Blangstrup was an impassioned and ardent James, full of romantic intensity, and his dancing in his solos was equally splendid.