Simkin and the City

March 22, 2017

Story ballets are wonderful when you take them on their own terms. But what if real people acted the way dancers do in story ballets?

That’s the question posed—and answered, hilariously—by American Ballet Theatre principal Daniil Simkin and choreographer Alexander Ekman in the video “Simkin and the City.” Ekman filmed the ABT star on the streets of NYC in full-on Basilio from Don Quixote mode—tights, dramatic gestures, hair flips and all. And New Yorkers’ reactions to him were, of course, priceless.

Simkin is possibly the only person in the world who could pull this off, but pull it off he does. Enjoy!