Giselle - A Chronicle Of Love, Tragedy And Forgiveness
Giselle is to ballet what Hamlet is to the theatre. Historically important in its own right, audiences flock to it so they may see it interpreted afresh by a new corps of ballerinas. Enthusiasts swear that every time they go, they always see something that they had missed on previous occasions.
A unique take on the theme of the love triangle, Giselle is the story of a young peasant country girl who perishes of a broken heart upon learning that the wealthy Albrecht, with whom she has fallen in love, was bethrothed to another woman. Hilarion, a commoner who is in love with the peasant girl, is seen mourning at her grave when he is surprised by the Wili, the ghosts of young women who had not lived to see their wedding days. They fill their nights for eternity by torturing men to death.
It is the normal practice of the Wilis to use their beauty to capture the attentions of young men and them force them to dance until they drop dead. Hilarion, they chase relentlessly until they toss him to his death in a lake. Moving on to serve a similar fate to Albrecht, they are thwarted by the ghost of the peasant girl. She forgives Albrecht, who is spared by the Wilis at dawn when they return to their graves until the following evening. Giselle may now rest eternally in peace.
First presented in Paris at Salle le Peletier in June 1841, it appeared in London at Her Majesty's Theatre in March 1842. It went on to be presented in Russia, Italy and the United States. It is now a film in 3D.
The role is a coveted one for young ballerinas. It requires grace and acting skills and is also demanding technically. Dramatist Theophile Gautier wrote it especially for his girlfriend, Carlotta Grisi. It has since been portrayed by Anna Pavlova, Svetlana Zakharova, Alicia Markova and many other accomplished ballet dancers.
It was Henrich Heine' tale of the Wilis that inspired Gautier, who imagined it as a ballet. He worked with the composer, Adolphe Adam and Jules Perot, choreographer.
A unique take on the theme of the love triangle, Giselle is the story of a young peasant country girl who perishes of a broken heart upon learning that the wealthy Albrecht, with whom she has fallen in love, was bethrothed to another woman. Hilarion, a commoner who is in love with the peasant girl, is seen mourning at her grave when he is surprised by the Wili, the ghosts of young women who had not lived to see their wedding days. They fill their nights for eternity by torturing men to death.
It is the normal practice of the Wilis to use their beauty to capture the attentions of young men and them force them to dance until they drop dead. Hilarion, they chase relentlessly until they toss him to his death in a lake. Moving on to serve a similar fate to Albrecht, they are thwarted by the ghost of the peasant girl. She forgives Albrecht, who is spared by the Wilis at dawn when they return to their graves until the following evening. Giselle may now rest eternally in peace.
First presented in Paris at Salle le Peletier in June 1841, it appeared in London at Her Majesty's Theatre in March 1842. It went on to be presented in Russia, Italy and the United States. It is now a film in 3D.
The role is a coveted one for young ballerinas. It requires grace and acting skills and is also demanding technically. Dramatist Theophile Gautier wrote it especially for his girlfriend, Carlotta Grisi. It has since been portrayed by Anna Pavlova, Svetlana Zakharova, Alicia Markova and many other accomplished ballet dancers.
It was Henrich Heine' tale of the Wilis that inspired Gautier, who imagined it as a ballet. He worked with the composer, Adolphe Adam and Jules Perot, choreographer.