• ABOUT
  • SUPPORT
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT
SUBSCRIBE NOW
No Result
View All Result
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
The Ballet Herald®
  • Home
  • Magazine
    • News
    • Features
    • Reviews
    • Opinions
    • Interviews
    • On This Day in History
    • Schools & Training
  • Ballet Performances Calendar
  • Famous Ballets
    • Cinderella
    • Coppélia
    • Don Quixote
    • Giselle
    • La Bayadère
    • La Sylphide
    • Romeo and Juliet
    • Swan Lake
    • The Nutcracker
    • The Sleeping Beauty
  • Ballet Companies
  • Home
  • Magazine
    • News
    • Features
    • Reviews
    • Opinions
    • Interviews
    • On This Day in History
    • Schools & Training
  • Ballet Performances Calendar
  • Famous Ballets
    • Cinderella
    • Coppélia
    • Don Quixote
    • Giselle
    • La Bayadère
    • La Sylphide
    • Romeo and Juliet
    • Swan Lake
    • The Nutcracker
    • The Sleeping Beauty
  • Ballet Companies
No Result
View All Result
The Ballet Herald®
Home Famous Ballets

Giselle

Learn about the characters, plot, music, interesting facts, and upcoming performances of Giselle, one of the most famous classical ballets.

5.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Who are the characters in Giselle?
  • What is the story of Giselle?
  • What is the music for Giselle?
  • Where is Giselle performed?
  • Related Stories
  • Original Choreography: Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot
  • Musical Score: Adolphe Adam
  • Based on: Heinrich Heine's "De lÁllemagne" and Victor Hugo's "Les Orientales"

Giselle Plot & Roles

*Classical ballets have evolved over time, lending themselves to different interpretations as choreographers and directors create works that reflect their visions of the story. The following is intended to provide general information; for details on different versions, click on each of the Giselle performances below.

  • PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS IN GISELLE (in alphabetical order)

 
Albrecht: Count of Silesia, Betrothed to Bathilde, Love of Giselle


 
Bathilde: Betrothed to Albrecht


 
Berthe: Mother to Giselle


 
Giselle: A peasant girl, Love of Albrecht, Love of Hilarion


 
Hilarion: A gamekeeper


 
Myrtha: Queen of the Wilis


  • GISELLE SYNOPSIS
⊙ ACT I: A VILLAGE IN THE GERMAN RHINELAND

On an autumn day, a peasant girl named Giselle – who loves to dance but suffers from a weak heart condition – is pursued by Albrecht, the Count of Silesia; she is unaware of his noble status as he disguises himself as a peasant and thus sees no harm in their flirtation. She initially denies his advances but upon plucking the petals of a daisy, his love for her is confirmed. The gamekeeper Hilarion is suspicious of Albrecht and tries to warn Giselle, with whom he is also in love. She ignores his warnings while he continues to investigate.

The villagers are visited by the Duke of Courland and his daughter Bathilde who is betrothed to Albrecht. When it is realized that both young ladies are engaged to the same man and that indeed Albrecht is a nobleman, Giselle is heartbroken. She attempts to kill herself with Albrecht’s sword but upon failing, goes mad. This frenzy of despair is too much for the girl’s heart and she dies.

⊙ ACT II: THE FOREST

Between midnight and dawn, the Wilis of the forest – led by their Queen Myrtha – appear to avenge the grief they suffered while alive from the betrayal of men they had loved. They force any man who enters their territory to dance until their death. Hilarion comes to mourn Giselle and is victim to the Wilis’ malice.

When Albrecht enters the realm, Giselle pleads with Myrtha to forgive him. She denies the young girl’s request and orders her along with the other Wilis to dance with him until his death. Giselle manages to keep him alive until the light of dawn, thus sparing him the same fate as Hilarion.

★ INTERESTING FACT ★
Adolphe Adam, the composer of GISELLE’s score, is reported to have written the music in about two months! His use of leitmotifs for the principal characters as well as for the famous “he loves me, he loves me not” flower test that Giselle uses in Act I helps the audience recognize recurring themes. Representative of the relationship between Giselle and Albrecht, this letimotif is repeated throughout the ballet in different ways, helping to convey the characters’ emotions to the viewer.

Giselle Music Playlist

Upcoming Giselle Performances

29 May
Auditorio Kursaal
Compañía Nacional de Danza de España - Giselle

Compañía Nacional de Danza: Giselle

Zurriola Hiribidea, 1, 20002 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain

View Details
25 June - 16 July
Palais Garnier
Paris Opera Ballet Giselle

Paris Opera Ballet: Giselle

Place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris, France

View Details
09 - 16 July
La Scala
La Scala Theatre Ballet Giselle

La Scala Theatre Ballet: Giselle

Via Filodrammatici, 2, 20121 Milano MI, Italy

View Details
03 - 22 September
Old Stage
Royal Danish Ballet Giselle

Royal Danish Ballet: Giselle

Kongens Nytorv nr. 9, 1017 København K

View Details
14 - 23 October
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Kansas City Ballet Giselle

Kansas City Ballet: Giselle

1601 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108

View Details
21 - 30 October
New National Theater Tokyo
National Ballet of Japan Giselle

National Ballet of Japan: Giselle

1 Chome-1-1 Honmachi, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0071, Japan

View Details
03 - 12 February
McCaw Hall
Pacific Northwest Ballet Giselle

Pacific Northwest Ballet: Giselle

321 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109, United States

View Details
10 - 13 February
The Madison Center for the Arts
Ballet Arizona Giselle

Ballet Arizona: Giselle

5601 N 16th St, Phoenix, AZ 85016, United States

View Details
24 February - 05 March
San Francisco War Memorial Opera House​
San Francisco Ballet Giselle

San Francisco Ballet: Giselle

301 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States

View Details
No event found!

Related Giselle Stories

YouTube videos

Boston Ballet School presents Next Generation
News

Boston Ballet School Presents Next Generation

by News Desk
April 5, 2022
Sarasota Ballet Performs Giselle - Not Nutcracker
News

Sarasota Ballet Performs Giselle – Not Nutcracker

by News Desk
December 4, 2021
American Ballet Theatre Review Giselle
Reviews

American Ballet Theatre Review: Giselle – Our Hearts Might Just Explode

by Kasey Broekema
October 25, 2021
Load More
Famous Ballets
  • Cinderella
  • Coppélia
  • Don Quixote
  • Giselle
  • La Bayadère
  • La Sylphide
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Swan Lake
  • The Nutcracker
  • The Sleeping Beauty

The Ballet Herald

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive recent stories and upcoming performance details direct to your inbox!

(Be sure to add news[at]balletherald.com to your contact list so that we don't end up in your spam folder.)

BROWSE THE NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES

⦿

Ballet Companies Ballet Herald Famous Ballets Features Interviews Magazine News On This Day in History Opinions Reviews Schools & Training Theatres Videos
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 The Ballet Herald™ by BalletNomad, LLC®

No Result
View All Result
  • ➩ Subscribe Now
  • Home
  • Magazine
    • News
    • Features
    • Reviews
    • Opinions
    • Interviews
    • On This Day in History
    • Schools & Training
  • Performance Calendar
  • Famous Ballets
    • Cinderella
    • Coppélia
    • Don Quixote
    • Giselle
    • La Bayadère
    • La Sylphide
    • Romeo and Juliet
    • The Nutcracker
    • Swan Lake
    • The Sleeping Beauty
  • Ballet Companies
  • ⊙ About
  • ⊙ Support
  • ⊙ Contact
  • ⊙ Advertise

© 2022 The Ballet Herald™ by BalletNomad, LLC®

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.