Inspired by Don Quixote’s famous muse, Dulcinea del Toboso, Dulcinea Langfelder sallies forth to take on Miguel Cervantes’ ‘absent heroine’, giving voice to her namesake to express her vision of the world and its history. You don’t need to have read the book to know intuitively who Dulcinea is. The question is, does she exist? Does she live somewhere in all of us?

Here, the roles are reversed; Don Quixote becomes Dulcinea’s muse, watching from the wings as our heroine attempts to rescue herself – from a tumultuous history that has given her a questionable rap… and a lot to mull over. How can she carry his flame?

In her inimitable multidisciplinary style, Dulcinea and her chorus of ‘Honorable Colleagues’ (her talented technical team) follow the silk road on a pilgrimage, looking through the mirror to where the present warps with the past, as dance with theater, words with imagery… Quixote with Dulcinea.

Lament dulcinea robe
Lament jump
Play Video
Dulcinea's Lament - Trailer

A word from Duclinea

My intention with this work is rather quixotic. I was drawn to the idea of portraying Dulcinea del Toboso because we have (almost) the same name. That was what compelled me to read Don Quixote, and though surprised by the absence of Dulcinea as a fully eshed character, I was astonished by the timeless brilliance of this book.

By giving voice to Dulcinea del Toboso, I am hoping to open hearts and minds to another view in the mirror; one which speaks for those who barely survived written history and who’s vestiges can be traced mostly through imagery, those who didn’t shape today’s mainstream religious attitudes.

Addressing religious attitudes is a risky endeavor! When people ask me how I find the courage to do so, I can only quote the prophetic Woody Allen (peace be upon him): “I was born into the Hebrew persuasion, but I converted to Narcissism.”

Though clearly very personal, this work is a joint effort on every level, with a dedicated and surprisingly talented crew, and the extraordinary direction of Alice Ronfard. Whether or not you have read Don Quixote, I hope you will leave this performance red up with his (and Dulcinea’s) message of hope.

Dulcinea signature

Credits

Concept and choreography : Dulcinée Langfelder

Direction and mentoring : Alice Ronfard

Puppets and manipulation : Vincent Santes

Compositions and arrangements : Philippe Noireaut and Danys Levasseur

Videos : Yves Labelle

Scenography : Ana Cappelluto

Lighting : Éric Gingras

Animations « Yin Yang » :  Nathan Boey

Claymation : Dulcinée Langfelder

On stage:

Dulcinea Langfelder : Dulcinea Del Toboso/ Dulcy from Brooklyn

Danny Carbonneau : interpreter, puppeteer and technician

Erik Lapierre : stage technician, props, interpreter

Danys Levasseur : sound/video technician, guitarist, interpreter

Vincent Santes : technical director, master puppeteer and interpreter

Philippe Beaudoin : sound engineer and lighting (off stage)

Music :

Benares Song : Kurt Weill et Bertolt Brecht 
Orgullecida : Eliseo Silveira
La Rumba : Nino Rota
Low Down Man : Squirrel Nut Zippers
Speaking in Tongues 3 : Sheila Chandra
Strange Fruit : poem of Abel Meeropol, adapted by Billie Holiday and Sonny White
Dulcinea : Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion (translated by Jacques Brel)