above are alessandra ferri and mikhail baryshnikov as giselle and albrecht, respectively. ferri is one of the greatest ballerinas in modern history, being one of eleven women granted the highest ranking and rarest title, prima ballerina assoluta. baryshnikov was the preeminent male dancer of the 1970s and 1980s, usurping rudolf nureyev off his “throne” as the most famous defected soviet danseur of the era. he is still considered one of the greatest danseurs of modern times.
giselle is a two act romantic ballet created in 1841, with choreography by jean coralli and jules perrot. it is inspired by heinrich heine’s “de l'allemagne” and victor hugo’s “fantômes”.
the first act focuses on a blossoming romance between the peasant giselle, and the duke — albrecht — who is disguised as a peasant in order to join in on the fun of the village harvest festival. upon the arrival of albrecht’s fiancée, the noblewoman bathilde, giselle learns of albrecht’s true identity, becoming inconsolably distraught and succumbing to insanity. she dances erratically, and eventually stabs herself with albrecht’s sword. her suicide leads to her burial deep in the forest, on unhallowed ground.
in act two, giselle’s spirit is inducted into the wilis by their queen, myrtha. the wilis are vengeful ghosts, women who were betrayed by their lovers on mortal earth. meanwhile, albrecht arrives at giselle’s resting place, bearing lilies, weeping over her and the guilt he feels. the wilis emerge, and giselle forgives albrecht for his actions. however, myrtha, filled with disdain and resentment towards all men, forces the nobleman to dance to death. the two lovers are separated both literally and metaphorically by the mortal and immortal planes — giselle dances languidly, having all eternity to express her emotions; while albrecht is quick, desperate to escape the paranormal pull to his death by the rapid exertion of dance. fortunately, giselle’s love for the duke spares him at sunrise. this act frees her from the hatred myrtha and the wilis share, all returning to their graves as day breaks. the ballet concludes at sunrise with giselle tenderly bidding farewell to albrecht, before returning to the grave to rest peacefully for all eternity.
the footage above is sourced from the film dancers (1987), directed by herbert ross and featuring alessandra ferri and mikhail baryshnikov. writing is mine, do not repost.
