ARTSMONDAY: Graceful, Lyrical ‘Giselle’ Shines at Boston Ballet

The Boston Ballet’s presentation of “Giselle,” produced and staged by Maina Gielgud and running through May 20, offers audiences an enchanting evening of classical mid-19th century ballet. As a conservative adaptation that stays true to the piece’s original choreography and tonality, “Giselle” shines as a stellar example of interpreting narrative through dance.

Originally choreographed by Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli, and set to Adolphe Adam’s moving score, the ballet tells the story of a young peasant girl, Giselle. In Act I, she falls in love with a man disguised as a fellow peasant, who is actually the noble Prince Albrecht. When she learns that he is engaged to another, she goes mad and dies of a broken heart.

The first act is full of thematic highs and lows, and Larissa Ponomarenko expresses all of the story’s drama in her portrayal of Giselle: love, betrayal, and forgiveness. Her powerful performance throughout the show, and particularly in this first act, demonstrates not only a precise technique, but also an exquisite lyricism.

Ponomarenko’s Act I solo is particularly impressive, eliciting audible gasps from the audience. With visibly strong feet, Ponomarenko makes her way across the stage with a striking pique-releve sequence. The pique-turn combination that follows is impeccable as well.

Roman Rykine, as Prince Albrecht, gives a remarkable performance and proves a perfect partner for Ponomarenko’s Giselle. Although his performance is clean in Act I, he truly shines in Act II.

The show is not without a handful of weak points, however. For instance, the pas de deux of two peasants who live in Giselle’s village is technically satisfactory, but leaves much to be desired. The pair is oddly matched and inexpressive in their movements.

The corps gave a very strong performance on opening night until one member took an unfortunate fall toward the end of their ensemble. With a quick recovery, the quality of the whole was not tainted by this small mistake, and they were ultimately quite impressive.

In order to advance the plot of the performance in Act I, the dancers have to take on the job of being actors, with disappointing results. Toward the end of the act, during Giselle’s death scene, the theatrics of the performance stifle the quality of the dance, forsaking its technical difficulty for simpler modes of plot explication.

In stark contrast, Act II provides very little story; its main purpose is the exhibition of pure dance without much in the way of theatrics.

It takes place on Giselle’s grave, from which she rises as the newest member of the Wilis, spirits of young women who have died before their wedding days. The Queen of the Wilis, Myrtha (Kathleen Breen Combes), leads the ensemble in dancing from midnight until dawn and forcing any men to die if they happen upon the Wili lair. Albrecht comes to Giselle’s grave and almost dies at the hands of the Wilis, only to be saved by Giselle’s spirit.

Although Ponomarenko’s Giselle is the star of the ballet as a whole, both Rykine’s Prince Albrecht and Combes’ Myrtha manage to outdance her in Act II. Ponomarenko’s greatest accomplishment in this act is to take the recitatives of Adam’s score and convert them into recitatives of her own movement. It is beautiful to see how the changing intonations of the music are embodied in the dance.

Rykine’s powerful leaps and turns, however, dominate the whole stage throughout the act. Not only does he impress with his high scissor kicks, but he also amazes with his incredible piroutte sequence.

Set and costume designers Peter Farmer and Mark Stanley deserve much acclaim. Throughout the entire show, the costumes and lighting are coordinated to match the tonality of the dance. In Act I, assonate oranges and greens abound in both the costumes and lighting. In Act II, stark, almost fluorescent lighting illuminates the silver-green costumes so that the dancers seem like materialized ghosts. In both acts, the effect serves to enhance the visual aesthetics of the dance.

With a talented ensemble, Gielgud resurrects a beautiful example of classical ballet in the 20th century. Giselle is vibrant, stunning, and entertaining—and “Giselle” is all the better for it.

—Reviewer Giselle Barcia can be reached at gbarcia@fas.harvard.edu.