Giselle is about ephoric, despaired, yet innocently beautiful love.
the audience were very supportive and applauded until the very end–it was almost like that they’re hoping for an encore.
About the story:
The ghost-filled ballet tells the tragic, romantic story of a beautiful young peasant girl named Giselle and a disguised nobleman named Albrecht, who fall in love, but when his true identity is revealed by his rival, Hilarion, Giselle goes mad and dies of heartbreak. After her death, she is summoned from her grave into the vengeful, deadly sisterhood of the Wilis, the ghosts of unmarried women who died after being betrayed by their lovers and take revenge in the night by dancing men to death by exhaustion (a popular theme in Romantic-era ballets). Led by Myrtha, the Queen of the Wilis, they target Albrecht when he comes to mourn at Giselle’s grave, but her great love frees him from their grasp. They gain their power in numbers as they effortlessly move through dramatic patterns and synchronized movements and control the stage with their long tulle dresses and stoic expressions, creating an ethereal atmosphere that builds as they gradually close in on Albrecht. By saving him from the Wilis, Giselle also saves herself from becoming one of them.
Wikipedia, Giselle
However, Giselle is, after all, not the most techically demanding ballet. Its beauty roots in its expressiveness of the lead ballerina as well as its classical narrative that leaves space for intepretation. The intricate artistry of the ballerina is reflected in the dual-role acting challenge:
When we meet Giselle in Act I, she is euphoric in love. When she reenters in Act II, a chill runs down our spine. This is a young girl who spirals from joie de vivre to darkness in the blink of an eye. The shift in movement quality is exquisite, from buoyant leaps to an ethereal weightlessness.
Well, to be honest, Don Quixote would have a more lively act I rendering rural life with its charming Kitri. Or if you’re looking for ballerina’s rendition of innocently sweet young girls, go for Coppélia. Giselle’s act I is expressive in its closing yet somewhat dull, especially when compared to its phenomenally fantastic second action.
Watch here for Natalia Osipova’s version of Act II on YouTube. It’ll give you goosebumps. When the Willies floating onto the stage, I heard gasp in the audience out of awe.
the second act’s ghost scene is breathtakingly beautiful
Ballet en Blanc: First seen in La Sylphide (1832), this term refers to scenes that feature the female corps de ballet costumed in pure white, dancing completely unified choreography. Sometimes referred to as “pure ballet,” it emphasizes the larger patterns and dramatic power of the corps, which assumes a menacing aura in Giselle. Act II finds Ballet en Blanc taking the ghostly character of the Wilis who (wearing their wedding dresses and veils), with their signature “flattened” arabesques, move into frightening formations. The Wilis did ballet blanc before the swans in Swan Lake and the shades in La Bayadère.
Although Giselle sacrificed herself to save her lover, few would condemn her to be an idiot falling in love–instead, the awe and respect awoken among the audience, for Giselle’s devotion is what makes the story powerful. It’s almost similar to little mermaid–dance on en pointe, or floating in the sea of blue, dimmed stage lightening of the second act.