Giselle (romantic ballet)

With the new production of the Ljubljana Opera and Ballet, two superlatives of modern classical ballet will take to the renovated stage. Since Giselle is one of the most powerful roles in the classical canon in history, one of the most exciting choreographers of today, David Dawson, will tackle it. It is precisely because of these two facts that we can expect the masterpiece of romantic ballet to be not just another staging of a moving story, but a production full of innovation and a unique approach. The two-act ballet has a relatively simple story, which is why it has remained relevant for several centuries. In the first act, Giselle betrays her heart because of Duke Albrecht, who plays with the simple beauty's emotions during the harvest, disguised as a farmer. In the next act, we follow Giselle in the afterlife, transformed into a fairy, who returns to this world at night to avenge her unjust and untimely death. When they meet again, Giselle must face that great question that is asked in many great works of literature: justice or mercy? As we all probably know, Giselle chooses to be generous, that is, to show mercy, thereby securing eternal peace. Despite its classicity and simple story, or perhaps precisely because of it, ballet is especially attractive to those choreographers who follow classical choreography with great attention, but are open to modern, fresh elements in their work. For Dawson, Giselle and Albrecht are individuals graced by their youth. They live much like the dancers who portray them. Not only does the choreographer tear the story and its characters out of their time frames, but he offers his own interpretation of the principles of classical ballet through his own choreographic style. The idea of universality and timelessness is also reflected in the completely new orchestration and reworking of Adam's original score, signed by David Coleman.