Review Roundup: Dada Masilo's GISELLE

The Joyce Theater Foundation's New York premiere of Artistic Director Dada Masilo's Giselle is on stage through this Sunday.

Performances of The Dance Factory run through Sunday, April 8 at The Joyce Theater (Located at 175 Eighth Avenue, at 19th Street). As recently announced, The Joyce Theater is offering a Pay What You Decide (PWYD) option for a selection of performances this season, including The Dance Factory on Sunday, April 8 at 2pm. This initiative seeks to encourage a more adventurous performance selection and allows patrons to sample companies they might not have seen before. Instead of paying a fixed price before coming to the theater, patrons are able to see the show, and decide what to pay afterwards.

Known for her unique and innovative interpretations of classical ballets, Dada Masilo has served as Artist-in-Residence of a Johannesburg-based company The Dance Factory since 2001. Following the company's successful 2016 Joyce Theater debut, the company returns with the New York premiere of Ms. Masilo's acclaimed feminist retelling and reimagining of the classic, Giselle.

Featuring her signature choreographic style that combines classical ballet and contemporary dance with traditional African dance, Masilo's Giselle demonstrates what is possible when mythological figures are imbedded into a different cultural context. By setting her interpretation in rural South Africa and infusing it with African rituals and ceremonies, Masilo is able to further highlight the tale's themes of betrayal, heartbreak, grief, and revenge. Featuring a cast of 12 dancers, Masilo's Giselle is set to an original score by South African composer Philip Miller that compliments Adolphe Adam's original music with African sounds.

Let's see what the critics have to say!

Gia Kourlas, The NY Times: Mixing contemporary dance and traditional Tswana movement, the dancers shower the stage with brisk, complex footwork and forceful arms. Ms. Masilo's Giselle is a feminist. While Adolphe Adam's music is referred to, the score is a contemporary one by the South African composer Philip Miller.

Apollinaire Scherr, Financial Times: Yet even with the dramatic arc flattened, there is much to admire. Mixing stomps and swivels with ejaculations in English, Zulu and Tswana, the cast of 14 captures the cacophony of a small community: the individual outbreaks of joy and outrage, and the consolidation into a consensual force. The fine score by William Kentridge's frequent composer Philip Miller ushers in these shifts with tinkling cowbells, scratchy drums, violin refrains from the ballet and, at moments of particular menace, a crush of all these elements.

Isabelle Blank, The Dartmouth: In her ballet, Masilo literally gives her dancers voice. The performers screech, yell and speak to each other coherently and incoherently. The choice to use voice in addition to movement brings Masilo's ensemble dancers out of the background, creating an active on-stage community missing in many traditional ballets. It's part of an intentional effort by Masilo to widen the production's spotlight beyond the title character. Her supporting characters are not narrative props but emotive men and women with individuality who audibly joke and fight with one another.

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