English National Ballet - London Coliseum
This production of Giselle is a magnificent display of how modern production elements give a classic ballet its colour, beauty and realism; whilst staying true to the classic themes crafted by the original choreographer.
Giselle is a magnificent ballet that explores themes of love, grief and betrayal. The English National Ballet's production shows Mary Skeaping's (1902-1984) reimagined choreography for the classic ballet first performed in 1841, choreographed by the iconic Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. It is a time piece. The ballet has lived in dance lover's hearts and has held its place in dance theatre history since it's beginning.
The story follows a young, innocent and beautiful village girl Giselle. She falls in love with Loys, a man who has recently moved into the village. The two become infatuated with each other and get engaged. Little does Giselle know Loy's true identity is the Duke of Silesia, Albrecht, and when Giselle's admirer, Hilarion, finds out this secret he turns her perfect world upside down. When Hilarion reveals the secret in front of the whole village and the royal party that are in the village for the wine festival, we then find out that Albrecht is engaged to the Prince of Courland's daughter Bathlide. Giselle falls into such a state of shock, she becomes weaker; she is so hurt from being deceived and betrayed she dies. The piece then shifts to a whimsical spirit world, Giselle is then a ghost and becomes a part of a group of women called the 'Wilis'. They are all women that have passed prior to their weddings; after their fiancé's unfaithful betrayals.
Production elements give the piece it's colour and bring the story to life for the audience. In the second act the spiritual world is brought to the fore; the combination of the scenery/costume, lighting and sound lure the audience in with an experience of the senses. Scenes are set in a forest at dusk and smoke fills the stage, which gives the idea of fog or mist from a lake. The lighting opens up the forest bit by bit and the Willis women are shown at the back of the stage for a brief moment and they disappear. This creates a spiritual experience and the costume extenuates this experience as they wear white, with veils covering their faces. Light pointe work is used to show the ghostly women gliding through the air and their costumes are a light material, as they move their skirts lightly move and flow as they dance. The hem of the dress has a dusky grey colour, which gives the idea of them covered in dirt from rising from their grave. This is a fantastic use of production elements to create the spiritual world the men encounter.
Albrecht and Giselle present their connection and infatuation with each other beautifully. The way they move together and visually connect with each other in duet moments; it creates a feeling of being in a location filled with people, they only see each other. Even when they are apart, they are trying to get closer, and they are always in each others eyeline. Giselle is played by Katja Khaniukova, a fantastic casting, she suits this character well and embodies Giselle's naivety and young love. As soon as she enters the stage the audience are drawn to her and her movements are strong, purposeful and admirable. Aitor Arrieta plays Giselle's love interest Albrecht and interestingly he implies through his characterisation how his love for Giselle is a natural connection, as though he has stumbled upon his soul mate unexpectedly. Whilst also showing with his interactions with the royal characters that he is following what is expected of him and his interactions with his fiancé feel forced. He is always drawn to Giselle and shows deep, real emotion towards her, even when his fiancé is around. Giving the idea that he is pressured by his peers to follow the path forced upon him at birth. His emotions shown through dance in act two have a deep sombre tone, which is moving. He clearly morns Giselle and when he sees her, he desperately tries to connect with her. His character successfully displays the tragedy of the piece and create a connection with the audience.
What is so beautiful about the choreography is how it is a clear narrative. There were many question and answer moments, there were also a range of hand gestures throughout and this gave the impression of dialogue. The story through each character was easy to translate; as the dancers were particularly good at showing their feelings not only through the way they performed each movement, but also their facial expressions and reactions to each other. When the Wilis are chasing after the men in the forest the men are visually terrified, the audience can see the group of Wilis' burning distaste towards men and their intentions to seek revenge. No moment was out of time, their sense of musicality was divine. The only drop in energy are the moments that feel like dancers are taking it in turns to perform, this is during the moment they are performing to the royals. Whilst it makes sense, because they are taking it in turns to perform for them; just like in other ballets moments like these remind you that you are watching a show, and it moves to feeling like a dance display. The connection between the audience and the show is lost for that moment, because whilst the dances are beautiful, they just do not add anything to the story.
Giselle is one of a kind and a time piece that will remain a pinnacle of dance theatre. The choreography is one of a kind and the story is somewhat empowering for women, because they get their triumph at the end when the men are afraid of the Wilis and are heartbroken losing their loves. The English National Ballet have given the piece a modern element by displaying the realistic scenery, creating the atmosphere through lighting, sound and costume textures. The attention to detail is truly remarkable. It is a beautiful visual experience and fantastic example of how dance can present a story to everyone, regardless of their language.
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