Giselle at Opéra National De Paris - Palais Garnier

"Ballets are the dreams of poets taken seriously.

- Théophile Gautier"


The credits of this emblematic ballet suffice to explain its abiding success: Théophile Gautier, co-author of the libretto; Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, who created the choreography; Alexandre Benois, whose drawings inspired the sets and costumes; and Patrice Bart and Eugène Polyakov to whom we owe the adaptation for the Paris Opera Ballet. Rarely have so many talents been brought together for a major work in the pantheon of dance.

At its source, a poem by Victor Hugo, the prose of Heinrich Heine and an entire era swept along by an artistic movement that would forever change sensibilities: Romanticism. The story revolves around Giselle, a young peasant girl. She is madly in love with Albrecht and dances passionately for him. However, on learning that Albrecht has deceived her and is betrothed to Princesse Bathilde, the inconsolable Giselle kills herself. Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, the ghosts of young girls who die before their weddings, condemns Albrecht to dance until he dies of exhaustion. He can only be saved by the intervention of the spirit of Giselle and the break of day which force the Wilis to flee.

First performed in Paris in 1841, the ballet has travelled all over the world and never lost its popularity with audiences. Considered to be one of the jewels in the crown of the repertoire, its narrative and choreographic qualities make it the romantic ballet par excellence.