Colorado Ballet is opening its 2026-2027 season with Don Quixote, a comedy ballet built around tilting windmills, a barber in love, and a bride-to-be who refuses to marry for money. The production runs October 2 through 11 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in downtown Denver, and it arrives as the company marks its 66th season with a storyline drawn from just a few chapters of Miguel de Cervantes' sprawling 1605 novel.
The ballet centers not on the knight-errant himself but on the romance between Kitri, an innkeeper's daughter, and Basilio, the local barber who loves her but lacks the money her father wants for a match, according to CBS Colorado. Dancer Ever Larson takes on the role of Kitri, while Liam Hogan dances Basilio, and the same report notes that Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho Panza still get their famous windmill-tilting moment woven through the comedy. Larson told the station, “It's funny, and you kind of wouldn't expect that from a ballet based on a 1,000-page book from 400 years ago,” and, “This has been difficult but a lot of fun for me.”
Hogan, for his part, said audiences may be caught off guard by just how much energy the production brings to the stage, per the same CBS Colorado account. That high-wattage comedy sits inside a classical frame: the choreography traces back to Marius Petipa, while Ludwig Minkus' Spanish-flavored score for Don Quixote dates to 1869, according to Colorado Ballet. The Colorado Ballet Orchestra performs that score live for every mainstage show this season.
A Choreographic Workout Built on Fans and Footwork
The ballet pairs comic acting with technically demanding dancing and is part of the classical ballet canon.
Hogan was promoted to Soloist for the 2026-2027 season, while Larson dances Kitri.
New Seats and a Fuller Season Lineup
Audiences settling in for Don Quixote are also sitting in new chairs. Denver Arts & Venues replaced the Ellie Caulkins Opera House's original auditorium seating, in place for 20 years, over the summer to improve patron comfort ahead of the season opening.
Don Quixote is the first of five mainstage productions in Colorado Ballet's 2026-2027 lineup, which also includes The Nutcracker, a company premiere of Romeo and Juliet, The Wizard of Oz, and the annual MasterWorks showcase.
Accessible Shows and Statewide Streaming
This run also includes expanded accessibility options: a sensory-friendly performance on October 8 with adjusted lighting and sound for patrons with developmental or sensory sensitivities, plus an audio-described performance on October 10. Colorado Ballet has also built an education arm into the run, announcing a Digital Broadcast series in September that streams live recordings of student matinee performances of Don Quixote directly into Pre-K-12 classrooms and youth organizations statewide, managed by the company's Education & Community Engagement department.
The October staging carries a personal dedication, too. Colorado Ballet has dedicated this production of Don Quixote to the memory of Frank and Roselyn Hopkins.
