Giselle has a long pedigree on the ballet stage. It was first performed at the Paris Opéra in 1841, when its Rhineland village setting would have been exotically romantic to audiences. The second act takes place in the mysterious moonlit world of the Wilis. Here, the spectral forms of jilted brides who have committed suicide are compelled to haunt the men who deceived them, forcing them to dance themselves to death. Dressed in chaste white, the ensemble dances a hypnotic sequence of slow steps – a defining prototype of Romantic ballet.
The Royal Ballet’s current version uses choreography derived from the original 1841 version as preserved by the great choreographer Marius Petipa in his 1880s production for the Imperial Ballet in St Petersburg, and now restaged by Peter Wright.
Information From:
http://www.roh.org.uk/discover/ballet/giselle/index.aspx
Key Points:
ReplyDeleteGiselle was first performed at the Paris Opera in 1841. The Royal Ballet version nowadays includes Marius Petipa's original choreography.