Giselle : a romantic ballet that remains as relevant as ever

A woman betrayed who gradually loses her mind. A haunted seducer forced to dance, possibly to his death. More than 175 years since its first performance, the ballet Giselle remains one of the greatest romantic works of all time. An interview with Ivan Cavallari, Artistic Director and Choreographer at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.

On the phone, Ivan Cavallari, Les Grands Ballets’ Artistic Director since 2017, does not hide his pleasure at once again presenting this work, which was previously performed at the company under his direction in 2019.

“There have been a lot of changes in this version,” he says. Changes indeed… for in the original version—by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, first performed at the Paris Opera in 1841—the first act of the story of Giselle was, for example, largely composed of pantomimes.

Former dancer turned choreographer Marius Petipa’s adaptation of Giselle—minus the pantomime—caused a sensation in Russia in the late 19^th century and is the version from which all contemporary adaptations are derived.

Ivan Cavallari says he has worked to make the ballet as accessible as possible for today’s audience, while respecting the style of this “oldest romantic ballet.”

“I wanted to keep this style because I found it was like dissecting Beethoven… you just can’t do that! I also wanted to find a different way of reaching young people, an approach that does not require a knowledge of pantomime, as people had back in the day...”

The choreographer explains that, among other changes, he has greatly increased the male dancers’ involvement in the first act. While, in the original version, they were much more stoic—except for the principal dancer—this time, we can expect to see them being much more dynamic.

“I also wanted to deconstruct another scene traditionally presented in the form of a pantomime—the one depicting Giselle’s descent into madness,” says Cavallari, adding that he sought to “offer a more immediate access to a story that has marked the history of dance.”

“I wanted to maintain the classic and romantic aspect, but as seen through a much more modern eye.”

A Timeless Tale

Another thing that works in favour of Ivan Cavallari and Les Grands Ballets is that the themes addressed in Giselle are still as relevant as ever.

While the story of a peasant girl falling in love with a duke promised to another is less contemporary, the themes of love, betrayal, pain leading to madness, and forgiveness are still pertinent.

The Artistic Director of Les Grands Ballets in fact believes that this last aspect—that of forgiveness, which is very much in evidence in Giselle—is particularly important today. “Man is still ferocious, in a sense. We are still at war… we have lost the essence of forgiveness. Art also exists to remind us, perhaps with a small voice, that there is still a desire to show good, evil, forgiveness,” he says.

With the various changes made to the structure of the work, to the way in which handsome Albrecht’s betrayal causes a heartache so strong in Giselle that she loses her mind and joins the vengeful Wilis spirits, Ivan Cavallari is sure to captivate both those who have seen the 2019 production and new spectators, novices who are discovering ballet one work at a time and who will certainly appreciate one of the oldest romantic works in the repertoire.