Giselle – which tells of the enchanted willies, young maidens who died before their wedding day – is a staple of 19th-century romantic ballet. Since its 1840 premiere in Paris, it has been an indispensible work in ballet repertoires around the world. The title character, the young Giselle, dies of a broken heart after being tricked and betrayed by a lover. Following her demise, she becomes a ghostly willy, one of the female spirits that appear at midnight to find new victims among the living and dance them to death. Lurking beneath this simple, romantic conceit is the complicated dynamic between men and women. For dancers, Giselle is one of the most complex and difficult leading roles, interpreted here by Olga Grishenkova, who appeared on the island stage last year as Daisy in the ballet rendition of The Great Gatsby.
The artists dedicate this production, exclusively performed by The State Opera and Ballet Theatre of Novosibirsk (NOVAT), to the memory of the wonderful dancer Nikita Dolgushin.
Solo Dancers: Ernest Latypov and Olga Grishenkova
Composer: Adolphe Adam
Libretto: Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint Georges, Théophile Gautier and Jean Coralli Choreography: Nikita Dolgushin based on the choreography of Jules Perrot, Jean Coralli and Marius Petipa
Music Director and Conductor: Karen Durgarian
Choreographer: Nikita Dolgushin
Set and Costume Design: Vyacheslav Okunev
Lighting: Alexander Kibitkin
Ballet Master: Mikhail Messerer
Assistant: Evgenia Kostyleva
Classic ballet production by the State Opera and Ballet Theatre of Novosibirsk.
(2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission)
