Giselle
A Romantic ballet in which a peasant girl dies after discovering her lover’s deception and joins the Wilis, spirits who compel men to dance to death.
Act I of Giselle: The village act of Giselle, ending with the heroine’s death after discovering Albrecht’s deception. Its harvest festivities and mad scene establish the tragedy before the supernatural world appears.
Jean Coralli: A French ballet dancer and choreographer who shared credit for the original staging of Giselle. He choreographed the 1841 Paris premiere in collaboration with Jules Perrot.
Romantic ballet: A nineteenth-century ballet movement emphasizing supernatural themes, expressive storytelling, pointe work, and ethereal female figures. Giselle is a landmark work that combines its characteristic themes and stage effects.
Imperial Ballet: The ballet company of the Russian imperial theaters, which became a major center of classical ballet in the nineteenth century. Its staging helped preserve and transmit Giselle after the work left the Paris repertory.
La Sylphide: A Romantic ballet in which a Scottish farmer pursues a supernatural sylph and loses his human bride. It shares Giselle’s supernatural heroine but centers on an unattainable spirit rather than a betrayed village girl.
Act II of Giselle: The forest act in which Giselle, now among the Wilis, protects Albrecht from their leader. The Wilis’ nighttime dance and Giselle’s forgiveness give the ballet its defining second-act imagery.
Jules Perrot: A French ballet dancer and choreographer whose work helped shape the original Giselle. His choreography, especially for Carlotta Grisi, contributed to the ballet’s creation.
Pointe technique: A ballet technique in which dancers support their weight on the tips of their toes using specialized shoes. The Wilis’ weightless appearance depends on sustained pointe dancing.
Marius Petipa: A French-born ballet dancer and choreographer who shaped the classical repertory in imperial Russia. His revisions influenced the version of Giselle inherited by later companies.
Swan Lake: A classical ballet about Prince Siegfried and Odette, a woman transformed into a swan by a sorcerer’s curse. Its enchanted female ensemble invites comparison with the Wilis, but its plot turns on a curse and mistaken identity.