{"id":768,"date":"2019-09-19T16:18:49","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T16:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/english-national-ballet-akram-khan-giselle\/"},"modified":"2023-12-26T17:43:37","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T17:43:37","slug":"english-national-ballet-akram-khan-giselle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/english-national-ballet-akram-khan-giselle\/","title":{"rendered":"English National Ballet Stuns with Akram Khan\u2019s ‘Giselle’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Three very different dance performances of Giselle<\/em> are showing in London this autumn. Akram Khan\u2019s modern interpretation, infused with Indian dance, is followed by Dada Masilo\u2019s contemporary choreography<\/a> with a dose of traditional Tswana dance from Africa \u2013 and a classical performance by the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The first to London, Akram Khan\u2019s Giselle<\/em>, catapults the popular ballet<\/a> into a present-day dystopia, leaving the audience to decide how closely it sits to reality.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dancers: Erina Takahashi and Isaac Hern\u00e1ndez
Photo credit: Laurent Liotardo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Akram Khan\u2019s Giselle<\/em> Story<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Act I<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the Giselle <\/em>story ballet (1841) traditionally\ntakes place in Germany, following a group of peasants during autumn harvest,\nKhan\u2019s Giselle lives among dispossessed migrant workers \u2013 labelled as \u2018the Outcasts\u2019\nin the English National Ballet\u2019s Act I synopsis. Giselle dances with Albrecht, who\nposes as an Outcast, until Albrecht is spotted by his wealthy fianc\u00e9 Bathilde. When\nconfronted, Albrecht leaves Giselle behind; so Giselle turns mad with grief and\ndances to death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Act II<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A remorseful Albrecht chastises his wealthy, unfeeling companions. Meanwhile, Myrtha \u2013 Queen of the Wilis \u2013 resurrects Giselle in the underworld. She commands the other Wilis, \u2018ghosts of factory workers who seek revenge for the wrongs done to them in life\u2019, to murder Hilarion while he mourns at Giselle\u2019s grave. When Albrecht arrives, Myrtha plans to kill him, too; but Giselle forgives Albrecht and allows him to return to the world of the living. Albrecht is sent back, now an Outcast himself, grieving alone where he and Giselle once danced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read about Dada Masilo’s <\/a><\/em>Giselle<\/a> <\/em>\u2013 another contemporary piece with a completely different take!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dancer: Alina Cojocaru
Photo credit: Laurent Liotardo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

English National Ballet: Giselle<\/em> Review<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

London\u2019s English National Ballet<\/a> (ENB) may not seem particularly suited to working with modern dance choreographer, Akram Khan<\/a>, and vice versa \u2013 but the company performs the movement well. They\u2019re not too stiff or too airy as they gallop around the stage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, if you looked at the legs in isolation, you wouldn\u2019t notice this is a contemporary ballet \u2013 since most of the modern dance<\/a> and Indian dance<\/a> influences are seen in the torso and arms. Their legs pli\u00e9, carrying their pelvis forward in an under curve, while their torsos topple over in fervent undulations. Occasionally hands stop in defined mudras, symbolic hand gestures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the first act, Jeffrey Cirio steals the stage as Hilarion as he breaks up the two lovers. His aggressive and magnetic energy matches the intensity of the entire corps. From standing, Cirio swirls down into the floor, his hands hitting the movement so hard that he\u2019s simultaneously tutting and popping. (Well, he does have a background in hip-hop, after all.) He\u2019s aggressive and articulate \u2013 magnetic, and yet mysterious, since the audience isn\u2019t given much information about his character motivations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you enjoyed Akram Khan’s <\/em>Giselle, you might also be interested in his evening-length <\/em>Until The Lions<\/a> show.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dancers: Erina Takahashi and Isaac Hern\u00e1ndez
Photo credit: Laurent Liotardo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The tone changes when an alarm sounds and the wall flips vertically, ushering in a cadre of well-heeled Landlords, including the resplendently dressed Bathilde (Isabelle Brouwers). They parade into the space, slowly transitioning into poses that would fit into a Vogue<\/em> magazine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Giselle (Tamara Rojo CBE) comes to inspect the glittering garment she helped to produce, Bathilde rolls up a glove and offers it to her. Bathilde misses Giselle\u2019s outstretched hand, purposefully dropping the glove on the floor; then she icily waits for an Outsider to fetch it for her. Hilarion tries to press Giselle’s head down into a bow to Bathilde, but she won\u2019t budge. Instead, he forces the rest of the Outsiders to show respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giselle pleads Albrecht (James Streeter) to stay with her and places their hands on her lower abdomen. He withdraws, stepping over Giselle\u2019s body to clasp hands with Bathilde, promenading her around the floor. Hilarion pulls a despondent Giselle to her feet, and then she shoves him away. Other Outsiders crowd around Giselle as she dances, choking off her expansive movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The orchestral music becomes frenzied \u00e0 la Rite of Spring <\/em>(another story dance during which a woman dances to death), but the build up happens much more quickly. Giselle angrily shoves her peers on the floor and becomes caught in a wavering sea of bodies. As the crowd pulls away, she remains still, and Hilarion cradles her lifeless body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bad boy of ballet, Sergei Polunin danced a solo version of <\/em>Rite of Spring (or Sacre du Printemps), called Sacr\u00e9<\/a>, by Japanese choreographer Yuka Oishi.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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English National Ballet dancers
Photo credit: Laurent Liotardo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The second\nact of the ballet shows Myrtha (Stina Quagebeur) bringing Giselle aboard as a\nWili. She breathes life into Giselle and connects her abdomen to Giselle\u2019s with\na stick, like an unyielding umbilical cord. Despite her ferocity, the scene is reminiscent\nof a mother duck, presiding over her little one. In this case, Myrtha teaches\nGiselle to move like the other female ghosts on pointe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, Hilarion is not welcomed like Giselle. A lithe Myrtha stands tall, challenging him as she thrusts her stake onto the ground. The Wilis mercilessly entrap Hilarion in a web of sticks and dispose of him in the shadowy background when a distraught Albrecht makes his entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giselle steps\nin front of Myrtha to shield Albrecht, and the two join in a sober duet. They\nrepeat some phrases from before, but there seems to be a chasm between them,\ndancing between the two worlds. She rapidly bourrees backwards away from him,\nand he prostrates himself on his knees before her. Giselle protects Albrecht\nfrom Myrtha and he returns to the world of the living, pining for what he once\nhad.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ballet powerfully illustrates that while some things can\u2019t be made right, it\u2019s still possible to make peace and move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dancer: Tamara Rojo
Photo credit: Laurent Liotardo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Khan\u2019s choreography is engaging and visceral, but the ballet is escalated to another level by its thoughtful pairing with other production elements. The theatre comes alive with live music from the English National Ballet Philharmonic, and the Tim Yip<\/a>\u2019s costumes are not only showcased in movement, they speak of the characters\u2019 very identities. His rotating wall, freckled with handprints and lit by Mark Henderson, quickly transforms the space; and all of the elements combined with the dance coalesce into a magical show that resonates strongly with its audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akram Khan\u2019s show, <\/em>Until the Lions<\/a>, only has three main dancers, but the Roundhouse production is equally cinematic.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I met a man during intermission, whose wife runs Chelsea Ballet Schools. Although interested in classical ballet, he hadn’t expected to like modern dance interpretation of Giselle<\/em>; but it spoke to him \u2013 and he’s not the only one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince its premiere in 2016, over 330,000 people have watched Giselle in theatres, cinemas, on TV and on DVD\u2026 This is a production that the whole Company is immensely proud of, and we continue to be overwhelmed by the out-pouring of appreciation that we have received from audiences around the globe.\u201d<\/p>\u2013 Tamara Rojo CBE, English National Ballet <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

[yasr_overall_rating null size=”large”]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dancers: Alina Cojocaru and Isaac Hern\u00e1ndez
Photo credit: Laurent Liotardo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If You See ENB\u2019s Giselle<\/em> Performance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dates<\/strong>: 18 – 28 September<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please see the venue\u2019s What\u2019s On<\/a> page for show times, as some performances are matin\u00e9es, while others run in the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Run time: <\/strong>2 hours, including\none 20-minute interval<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price: <\/strong>\u00a315 \u2013 \u00a375<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theatre: <\/strong>Sadler\u2019s Wells<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address: <\/strong>Rosebery Ave, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4TN<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearest tube\/ train station(s): <\/strong>Angel, but walkable from Barbican and\nFarringdon<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ticket office phone number:<\/strong> +44 2078 638000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All information accurate and up-to-date at time of posting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dancers: Alina Cojocaru and Isaac Hern\u00e1ndez
Photo credit: Laurent Liotardo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Disclosure: Dance Dispatches<\/em> received free admission to provide an open and honest dance show review<\/a> of Akram Khan’s Giselle<\/em>, as performed by the English National Ballet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three very different dance performances of Giselle are showing in London this autumn. Akram Khan\u2019s modern interpretation, infused with Indian dance, is followed by Dada Masilo\u2019s contemporary choreography with a dose of traditional Tswana dance from Africa \u2013 and a classical performance by the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The first to London, Akram Khan\u2019s Giselle, catapults […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[81,84,85,112,101,69,86,87],"class_list":["post-768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-show","tag-ballet","tag-england","tag-europe","tag-folk-dance","tag-indian-dance","tag-london","tag-modern-contemporary","tag-uk"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Tamara-Rojo-in-Akram-Khans-Giselle-\u00a9-Laurent-Liotardo.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=768"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":775,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768\/revisions\/775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancedispatches.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}