Creating The Royal Ballet's Giselle

Описание: Designer John Macfarlane and Senior Répétiteur Samantha Raine give an insight into staging The Royal Ballet's Giselle, from designing an otherworldly set to rehearsing the challenging Dance of the Wilis in Act II.

See Giselle on the Royal Opera House Main Stage until 20 March – book now: https://www.rbo.org.uk/tickets-and-ev...

Watch Giselle live in cinemas from Tuesday 3 March 2026, with encores from Sunday 8 March – find your nearest screening: https://www.rbo.org.uk/tickets-and-ev...

Peter Wright’s production of Giselle was created for The Royal Ballet in 1985. With designs by John Macfarlane and set to Adolphe Adam’s score, this production conjures up two distinctly vivid realms, transporting audiences from the pastoral idyll of Act I to the menacingly moonlit graveyard of Act II as the tragic story unfolds.

The supernatural power of Giselle makes it one of the best balletic examples of the 19th-century Romantic genre. The plot’s themes of love, betrayal and redemption were inspired by Heinrich Heine’s De l’Allemagne and Victor Hugo’s poem Fantômes.

The spectral beauty of the ballet is at its height during the Dance of the Wilis in Act II, where the Wilis gather around Giselle’s grave – also a moment of technical brilliance for the Company’s corps de ballet. Since its first performance in Paris in 1841, Giselle continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

To find exclusive souvenirs and gifts inspired by the ballet, explore the Giselle collection at the Royal Ballet and Opera Shop: https://shop.rbo.org.uk/pages/search-...

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