Giselle Dance Analysis

The Australian Ballet was outstanding in their performance of Giselle. The choreography in this production was first created by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot and then restaged by Colin Peasley. The choreography beautifully mirrored the music composed by Adolphe Adam. Though the ballet company’s adaptation of the classic was originally performed it in 1991, I did not view it until 2017. The ballet is divided into two acts which well serves the length of the show and the contrast between the two acts. There was great use of principals, soloists, and a corps de ballet.

The ballet is about the young and beautiful peasant Giselle who falls in love with the Duke Albrecht, who disguises himself as a peasant to win her love. He is actually betrothed

to the a noblewoman, Bathilde, but he hides this from Giselle. Berthe, the mother of Giselle, tells Giselle not too dance as much because it is bad for her health. She continues to dance and falls in love with Albrecht. When Hilarion, a peasant who is in love with her, reveals Albrecht’s secret to Giselle, she is distraught and dances herself to death..
After Giselle’s death, Hilarion comes to visit her grave and is danced to death by the leader of the Wilis, Myrtha. The Wilis are a group of virgins that died with unrequited love; they want Giselle to join them. The Wilis attempt to get Giselle to dance Albert to death upon his arrival at her grave, yet she does not go through with it. The climax is the Grand Pas de Deux, and when she chooses to forgive Albrecht. When daylight breaks, the Wilis disappear, leaving Albrecht to weep at Giselle’s grave.
Romantic ballets were dominant in the early nineteenth century; Giselle is one of the most famous ones. It contains all the necessary elements for a romantic ballet. The ballerinas performed en pointe which was an idea introduced during the Romantic Period. The romantic ballet skirts were emerging as well, and these were worn by the dancers throughout the ballet. Giselle is concerned with the supernatural. This is a very prominent theme within the storyline about the Wilis.
The performance of Giselle’s dancers looks very physically demanding for all everyone; it seems to require a lot of breath support.

There is a lot of fast-paced movement and jumping in the first act. Even with all of the difficult factors involved, Christine Walsh, who portrays Giselle makes her dancing look effortless and graceful. The choreography was a joy to observe and it paired with the orchestration beautifully. Aside from the role of Giselle being physically demanding, it is also emotionally demanding. The dancer playing Giselle must also be a talented actress, so that she can communicate the ideas through her movement and gestures. The role was originally created for famous ballerina Carlotta

Grisi.
The design elements for this show were perfect.

I really enjoyed the costuming for this show.. Most pieces of clothing were very elaborate and appeared to be very detailed. This is seen when Giselle admires Princess Balthilde’s dress when they first meet. I also really enjoyed the look of the corps de ballet. All of their costumes fit within the same color scheme which made it very pleasing to the eye. It was interesting to notice the stark contrast of the costumes between the different acts. Act one’s costumes were full of beautiful vibrant colors, whereas act two was filled with mostly white and neutral colors. There were very few props. There was a bench that was moved around in different scenes. There was also Princess Bathilde’s necklace that she gives to

Giselle.
The set was very simplistic as well. In the first act, there was Giselle’s cottage with the Albrecht’s cottage opposing it across the stage. There was also a bridge in the back that the nobility walked on when they arrived. There was a bright forest backdrop as well. In act two, there was only a backdrop that made the darkness of night and death prevalent.
The lighting in each acts mirrored the set. The lighting was bright and vibrant in the first act, then opposed in act two by being dark and eerie. The overall mood was interesting because, like everything else in the show, it shifted with the acts. The mood in act one was very happy and joyful until Giselle realizes that Albrecht lied to her about his identity. The show suddenly loses the lightheartedness that it had up until that moment, and it takes on a darker tone that continue throughout act two.
Even though the show first premiered in 1841, its message is still relevant in modern day. I believe that Giselle’s willingness to forgive Albert can serve as a lesson to everyone about the importance of forgiveness. I really enjoyed viewing this ballet. The lead dancers, Christine Walsh and Kevin Coe were outstanding in their portrayal of their characters. I was not familiar with this story prior to my small introduction to it in ballet class, and I really liked it. I enjoyed the entire concept and the contrast between the two acts. Everything was absolutely breathtaking. It was amazing to watch these professional dancers perform because it reminds those who are still learning of what they train to accomplish. Seeing such a high level of excellence was very inspiring.