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Giselle (2016)

20 October 202010 January 2021

Giselle (2016)

20 October 202010 January 2021

Giselle (2016)

20 October 202010 January 2021
Ballet and dance
Marianela Nuñez as Giselle in Giselle © 2016 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton
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Cinema Broadcast. Peter Wright's classic production of the greatest of all Romantic ballets – a tale of betrayal, the supernatural and love that transcends death.

Running time
The performance lasts approximately 2 hours 25 minutes (may include one interval in some cinemas)
Guidance
This production has been classified PG by the BBFC.
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Story

Vadim Muntagirov as Albrecht in Giselle © 2016 ROH. Photograph by Tristram Kenton
Giselle (2016)

The peasant girl Giselle discovers the true identity of her lover Albrecht – and that he is promised to another.

Giselle kills herself. Her soul enters the ranks of the Wilis – shades of young women who died before their wedding day. All men that come across their path are compelled to dance themselves to death, and Albrecht falls into their trap. Giselle’s intercession saves Albrecht and releases her soul from the Wilis’ power.

Background

There may be an interval in this performance. Please check with your local cinema.

Giselle is the classic ballet of the Romantic era. It transformed the dance world when it was first performed in Paris in 1841 and remains at the centre of the classical repertory. Giselle’s essence has remained the same through many different productions in well over a century of continuous performance. Peter Wright’s production for The Royal Ballet is based on Marius Petipa’s classic version (after the original 1841 choreography by Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli), which was first staged in St Petersburg in 1884.

The role of Giselle provides the dancer with many technical and dramatic challenges, from the character’s early love to her poignant descent into madness and her final gesture of forgiveness from beyond the grave. The first act of the ballet is filled with historical detail and rustic colour. By contrast, the second, ‘white’ act plunges the audience into an eerie moonlit forest haunted by the ethereal Wilis. With its combination of memorable story and exquisite choreography, Giselle is the perfect way to discover classical ballet.

Cast and Creatives

Creatives
Choreography

Marius Petipa after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot

Production

Peter Wright

Additional choreography

Peter Wright

Original lighting

Jennifer Tipton

Lighting re-created by

David Finn

Antonio Pappano in rehearsal for Live from Covent Garden, 13 June 2020 ©2020 ROH. Photograph by Lara Cappelli

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