Giselle
World Premiere | Paris Opera Ballet at The Palais Garnier, France, 1841 |
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Universal Ballet Premiere | The Little Angels Performing Arts Center on March 21, 1985 |
Choreography | Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot |
Music | Adolphe Adam |
Staging | Oleg Vinogradov |
Set Design | Simon Pastukh |
Costume Design | Galina Solovieva, Sylvia Taalsohn Julia Chang |
Lighting Design | Nakchoen Kang |
Composition | 2 acts |
Running Time | 2 hours |
The world's most beloved romantic ballet, a timeless classic among classics Giselle's love for Albrecht persists despite betrayal and beyond death.
Giselle is perhaps the most famous and widely performed among works of the Romantic era, considered a masterpiece of the Romantic ballet blanc style. The ballet was created more than 50 years before Petipa created his Swan Lake, and signifies the very essence and the climax of Romantic vision.
The version currently performed by Universal Ballet follows that of the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia.
A two-act ballet, Giselle opening act is festive and vibrant, and the second act ethereal and otherworldly, as the earthy harvest celebration is replaced by the pensive realm of the deep forest. The ballet’s lyricism suits Universal Ballet perfectly. The company’s premiere of Giselle in 1985 was followed by performances in Japan, China and Taiwan.
In 1989, Universal Ballet’s Director General Julia Moon danced the lead in Giselle at the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, a notable performance, as she was the first Asian guest principal ever to appear with the Mariinsky Ballet. Since its premiere, Universal Ballet’s Giselle has continued to enchant Korean audiences throughout the country.
Restaged by Oleg Vinogradov in 1999 with set designs by Simon Pastukh and costume designs by Galina Solovieva, the production has also toured in Europe including performances in Hungary, Italy and Spain in 1999 and Switzerland, Germany, Austria and England the following year.