Akram Khan’s Giselle: A Darkly Beautiful, Haunting Masterpiece for Halloween

For those looking for the perfect Halloween ballet, look no further than the mysterious, spine-tingling atmosphere of Akram Khan’s Giselle!

Many of you will already be familiar with this grand Romantic ballet, performed across the globe year round by some of the most famous ballet companies in the world. But, have you seen British choreographer Akram Khan’s contemporary production with the English National Ballet?

Giselle recounts the story of a young peasant girl desperately in love with Albrecht, a nobleman disguised as a peasant. One day, she finds out that not only is Albrecht a wealthy nobleman, but his hand in marriage is also promised to a princess. Wrecked with despair, Giselle falls into madness and dies, her soul entering the afterlife and joining the Wilis, spirits of spurned young women who haunt traitorous men, forcing them to dance themselves to death. Myrtha, queen of the Wilis, plans to bring Albrecht to the same fate.

In Khan’s version, some elements of the narration have been modified: Giselle is one of a group of migrant workers in a textile factory (the Outcasts) and, having lost their jobs after the factory closure and separated by a high wall from any hope of livelihood or security, the Outcasts serve as no more than entertainment for the factory landlords. For me, Khan’s take represents a clearer, more violent class divide than in the romantic version we’re used to, bringing the story into the modern age.

This extract from Act I drops us into the ex-workers’ sober reality, separated from the world by the enormous wall rendered at the back of the stage. Giselle (Tamara Rojo) and Albrecht (James Streeter) dance among the other Outcasts until a piercing sound rips through the space, announcing the opening of the wall to let the noble landlords in. The on-stage atmosphere changes completely: the light becomes harsh and we are plunged into a fog, the nobles’ movements becoming constrained and domineering. They attempt to subject the Outcasts to their superiority, which Giselle refuses.

Act II transports us to the land of the Wilis, which seems as though taken straight out of a horror movie, and uses a familiar gender trope: women with long black hair, as seen in The Ring or The Grudge. Myrtha’s expressiveness (portrayed by Stina Quagebeur) is reminiscent of some of Tim Burton’s characters. For me, this is one of the most visually and emotionally powerful moments of Khan’s staging.

This truly magnificent adaptation, both contemporary and respectful of tradition, is sure to give you chills, ballet expert or not!