What is the plot of the ballet Giselle?
The story of Giselle is a romantic tale of innocent love and betrayal; of philandering Count Albrecht and a trusting peasant maid, Giselle. Although she has a weak heart, Giselle loves to dance. Her beauty has enchanted Albrecht. Giselle loses her reason, and the first act ends with the famous mad scene, and her death.
What is the theme of the ballet Giselle?
Drawing from supernatural themes of the Romantic era and Eastern European folklore, the story of Giselle juxtaposes love and betrayal, life and death, vengeance and forgiveness as a young girl descends to the unearthly realm of the Wilis. The story opens with a blossoming village girl, euphoric in love.
How does the ballet Giselle end?
In disbelief Giselle breaks the two apart and declares her love for Albrecht. Bathilde announces that she is betrothed to Albrecht. Giselle falls into a state of despair. Her emotional condition descends until a fit of madness causes her weak heart to stop beating and she dies.
Why do ballerinas covet the role of Giselle?
The role is a very coveted one among ballerinas because it is the epitome of ballet prowess in the sense that the role requires a ballerina who is exceptionally talented technically, but also has exceptional expressive dramatic skills.
What is a Wili in Giselle?
The “Wilis” in Giselle are ghostly spirits of dead girls jilted on their wedding day. They force men to dance to their deaths – a real “case of the wilis!” Some have traced “Wili” to a Slavic witch-spirit associated with water; the name is a cognate of the Scandinavian “Valkyrie” of Opera fame.
What is the story of Don Quixote ballet?
The ballet Don Quixote is based on segments of the classic novel, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes Saavreda,. The innkeeper’s plans to marry Kitri to the wealthy Gamache are turned upside-down when Don Quixote and Sancho Panza stumble into town and try to help the lovers.
What are the willies in Giselle?
Under the watchful guidance of senior ballet mistress Mandy-Jayne Richardson, they muster the emotions of sorrow, anger and revenge; a group of 18 thoroughly modern women transported into a supernatural realm where the spirits of jilted maidens — known as Wilis in Giselle — appear nightly to prey on any man unlucky …
What happens in Act 2 of Giselle?
Giselle appears, rising from her grave, wrapped in a shroud. When Myrtha touches her with her rosemary branch, the shroud falls off and Giselle is transformed into a Wili. She dances with fervor until a sound is heard in the distance. The Wilis seek to detain them and try to force them to dance.
Why is Giselle a romantic ballet?
Giselle premiered just nine years later. “That’s why Giselle and the Romantic ballets are so important because it was the first time female dancers went on pointe,” Torija says. “The whole technique developed even more after that.” Giselle’s female protagonist was groundbreaking.
Who are the characters in the ballet Giselle?
Characters in the first performance Duke Albert of Silesia, in the attire of a villager The Prince of Courland Wilfride, the Duke’s squire Hilarion, the game-keeper An Old Peasant Man Bathilde, the Duke’s fiancée Giselle, a peasant girl Berthe, Giselle’s mother Myrtha, Queen of the Wili Zulmé, a Wili
What is Giselle ballet about?
The ballet is about a peasant girl named Giselle, who dies of a broken heart after discovering her lover is betrothed to another. The Wilis, a group of mystic and supernatural women who dance men to death, summon Giselle from her grave.
What is Giselle about?
Giselle. “Giselle” is a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon. The ghost-filled ballet tells the tragic, romantic story of a beautiful young peasant girl who falls for the flirtations of the deceitful and disguised nobleman Albrecht. When the ruse is revealed, the fragile Giselle dies of heartbreak,…