(Margaret Regan, Tucson Weekly) Amanda McKerrow has performed nearly every female part in the classic ballet Don Quixote, from the flower girl to the robust Mercedes.

When she danced Kitri, the ballet’s female lead, her partner was Mikhail Baryshnikov.

It was “transcendent” to dance with the famous dancer, says McKerrow. A former American Ballet Theatre star, McKerrow this weekend debuts an abbreviated Don Quixote Suite that she and her husband, John Gardner, choreographed for Ballet Tucson’s season opener.

In rehearsals, Baryshnikov “didn’t like a lot of discussion,” McKerrow says. “He was more physical—actions speak louder than words. It was important to be consistent. It was nerve-wracking. I was a little more edgy dancing with him. But it was totally worth it.”