“Giselle” ballet performance by the Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre

Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater (Ukraine) Composer
Libretto: Théophile Gautier, Jean Coralli, Henri de Saint-Georges
Choreography: Jean Coralli, Gilles Perrault, Marius Petipa
Editor: Leonid Lavrovsky
Stage designer: Nadiia Shvets

Come see 2 performances of the legendary Giselle Ballet in Latvia!

Dance, its connection to youth, love and death, is the central theme of the Romantic ballet Giselle. In this story, the mythical characters of the maidens play an important role: the spirits of deceived girls in Slavic folklore, who, in revenge, can dance the boys they meet at night to death. However, it was this motif that inspired the French romantic writer, poet and literary critic Théophile Gautier to create the ballet’s libretto. The ballet Giselle is the result of a collaboration between Théophile Gautier, librettist Gilles Henri Saint-Georges, composer Adolphe Charles Adan, and choreographers Jean Coralli and Gilles Perrault. After its premiere in Paris in 1841, Giselle is still widely performed in theaters around the world.

The extremely romantic music by Adolphe Charles Adan creates vivid images and subtly conveys their feelings and emotions. The ballet revolves around the first love and betrayal of a naive 15-year-old girl, Giselle, followed by madness and death, which disappointingly turns into a ghostly beautiful otherworld, but in the end love conquers the doom of death. The value of the production lies in the complex choreography – the role of Giselle is a great challenge and for many dancers the pinnacle of their career in the classical repertoire. Today, Giselle is most often seen in the version staged in the late 19th century by Marius Petipa of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. It is airy, light and emotionally intense. This is the version presented by the Kharkiv Ballet, reworked by Leonid Lavrov.

The Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is one of the most famous and oldest musical theaters in Ukraine, working in the best traditions of Ukrainian and world cultural heritage, with a history dating back to 1780.

The Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is the only one that was evacuated due to the Russian attack, as the theater building was partially destroyed, the situation is dangerous and it is impossible to work there. They were kindly hosted by Slovakia. From time to time the theater tours Europe. Other theaters in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa manage to maintain their home base. #standwithukraine