Ballet. Giselle is a young girl in the countryside who falls in love with the stranger Albrecht, a nobleman. He turns out however, to have a fiancée among his own kind.
‘This new Giselle will last the Dutch National Ballet for many years to come’ De Telegraaf
‘Giselle is a ballet of immortal beauty, combining a spellbinding story with magical ballet technique’ Het Financieele Dagblad
Giselle is a young girl in the countryside who falls in love with the stranger Albrecht, a nobleman. He turns out however, to have a fiancée among his own kind. His betrayal leads to Giselle’s death. But when the forest’s nocturnal spirits, the wilis, attempt to avenge the betrayal of their sister, Giselle intervenes…
The Hamlet of Dance – is what this 19th century ballet is known as, one of the world’s most danced ballets. The ballet’s theme includes strong feelings, love, betrayal, revenge, not being able to choose or to make the wrong choice; timeless themes, that even in our time affect our happiness. This new production by the Dutch National Ballet, after the Petipa/Coralli/Perrot version from 1841, is set at the end of the 18th century, i.e. at the beginning of the romantic era. Rachel Beaujean, head of artistic staff at the Dutch National Ballet, together with the former international star soloist Ricardo Bustamante, has revised this romantic classic and tried to highlight its timeless character and show how Giselle speaks to us even today. The set design and costumes by Toer van Schayk are inspired by the historic originals, with Romanticism’s tulle skirts, enchanting nature and pointe shoes.
This guest performance by one of Europe’s principal ballet companies will give us everything we could wish for from classical, romantic ballet: mystery, beauty and poetic fantasy, far from everyday trivialities, all with the techniques of classical ballet at its heart.
