Chicago's Joffrey Ballet Revives a Classic

For a dance company with a reputation for presenting contemporary ballets, seeing the Joffrey Ballet perform the romantic classic Giselle is a pleasant return to the roots of the genre. The Chicago-based Joffrey, one of the first ballet companies to commission modern dance choreographers to create their ballets, opened their 2007-2008 season with their performance of Giselle, a full length work first danced in 1841 by the Paris Opera.  Frederic Franklin, a world-renowned artist who has taken on many roles over the years including ballet dancer, choreographer, director, co-founder, and staged works for companies all over the world, did a marvelous job replicating and preserving the overall atmosphere and magic of the work.

The dancing, performed by a cast of more than forty, was almost impeccable, save for a dancer or two that did not quite live up to the standard so often exceeded by the Joffrey's dancers. But this was dismissable, considering the audience was distracted by Christine Rocas' achingly beautiful performance in her role as Giselle. Rocas displayed both exceptional technicality and fantastic dramatic lyricism. The dancing was complemented by Adolphe Adam's original score, played by the Chicago Sinfonietta under the direction of Dr. Leslie B. Donner. 

Rocas' grace and expressiveness may also help explain why the second act, which has fewer appearances by the young Giselle, moves along much slower than the first act. The second act does have some hauntingly beautiful displays of spatial choreography and unison performed by the corps of betrayed souls dressed in ethereal white, but even beauty can become slightly monotonous when too repetitive.

Being that this was the Joffrey's first ever performance of Giselle, the decision was wisely made to borrow scenery and costumes from the Houston Ballet. Wisely so because the scenery and costumes, both designed by Peter Farmer, were a perfect addition to the surreal, ghostly love store of a young maiden who falls in love with the wrong man, only to commit suicide and then spend her afterlife protecting her lover from the spirits of betrayed girls seeking to kill whatever man they can find.

The Joffrey Ballet presented Giselle October 17-28, 2007, at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. If you missed their performance of this ballet classic, grab tickets to the 20th Anniversary of their Nutcracker production. The popular holiday staple will run December 12-30, 2007, at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre. Visit www.joffrey.com for more information.

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