Kirkland resident Isabelle Mollicone is one of 24 children selected to perform in the American premiere of Alexei Ratmansky’s spectacular, full-length Don Quixote, presented by the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Mollicone, a 7th grader at Kamiakin Junior High, will play one of the cupid children in Act 2.

One of the most opulent productions ever presented in PNB’s history, Don Q runs from Feb. 3-12 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall.

Tickets start at $28 and may be purchased by calling 206-441-2424, in person at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer Street, or online at www.pnb.org.

Ratmansky’s production, created for Dutch National Ballet in 2010, has been hailed as “the best version of this ballet…exciting and hot-blooded dance” (De Telegraaf).

The immensely popular story ballet combines Ratmansky’s acclaimed Russian fluency with classical tradition, lush sets and costumes, Ludwig Minkus’ rousing score (featuring the mighty PNB Orchestra), and legendary technical feats.

Don Q’s bravura classical dances showcase soloist virtuosity as dramatically as its mime and humor reveal accomplished character players.

At the center of the ballet’s passionate Castilian heart, Minkus’ score endows each scene with rich atmosphere, deepened by Jérôme Kaplan’s (Roméo et Juliette) vibrant costumes and amber-washed sets.

All elements combine with Ratmansky’s innately expressive movement to treat theater-lovers of all ages to a breathtaking theatrical experience. Brimming with wit and romance, Don Q follows Spain’s legendary hero Don Quixote and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, to the famed city of Barcelona on a quest for his dream lover, Dulcinea.

Instead, he meets the high-spirited Kitri whose father would rather she marry a rich fool than the penniless but dashing Basilio. The couple takes flight and their adventures, reflected by the Don’s visions, fill the stage with teaming street life, the cadence of castanets and tambourines, flashing fans, and whirling matadors.

Emmy Award-winning actor Tom Skerritt (“Picket Fences”) – who, in addition to roles in such films as “Top Gun,” “Alien” and “Steel Magnolias,” played a former ballet dancer in the hit film “The Turning Point” – makes his ballet debut in the lead role of Don Quixote.

His devoted squire, Sancho Panza, will be played by Allen Galli, familiar to Seattle audiences from 30 years of appearances with every major local theatre company, including a previous stint as Sancho Panza in Village Theatre’s Man of La Mancha.

(The roles of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza will be played by PNB ballet master Otto Neubert and principal dancer Jonathan Porretta, respectively, at the Saturday, Feb. 4 and 11 matinees, and the “Eyes On Dance” school performance.)

Don Quixote is one of the most sumptuous productions in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s history. The ballet originally cost Dutch National Ballet $3 million to build, and will cost PNB $860,000 to present:

• Don Q is so expansive that it requires 2,200 square feet of dancing space on stage; most of PNB’s story ballets require just 1,700 – 1,800 square feet.

• Eight shipping containers were required to transport the elaborate sets and costumes from Amsterdam to Seattle.

• More lumber and other building materials were used to construct the ballet than were used to create PNB’s Coppélia, Cinderella and The Sleeping Beauty, combined.

• The production utilizes 280 costumes and props, including 47 wigs and hairpieces, requiring the work of eight hair and make-up artists at each performance. (PNB’s company is about half the size of Dutch National Ballet: Some dancers will change costumes up to five times in one performance.)

• The hats worn by the Torreadors are authentic matador hats made in Madrid.

• The masks for the six monsters in Don Q were made by a company that worked on the “Lord of the Rings” movies.