Giselle

Saturday, 2 May 2009

Poor old opera. While the serious theatregoer undoubtedly appreciates the soaring heights of complex arias, dramatic plot lines and sumptuous costumes and sets; ballet will always have it beat - at least in the eyes of the tween set and under (girls in particular).

It was the closing night of Giselle, billed as the ultimate romantic ballet, and tradition abounded. The recent Perth International Arts Festival had boasted a modern take on this tragic story, but the West Australian Ballet had chosen tutus, tights and true love.

The audience demographic skewed all the way down to pre-primary ballerinas-in-training, dressed in their sparkly best and with eyes shining with the dreams of one day dancing so lightly on their toes that they could come close to flying.

But while Giselle is trimmed with happy woodland dancers from a country village, and royal hunting parties with brocade aloofness; at it's centre is a doomed love affair.

Naive woman-child Giselle (Jayne Smeulders) gives her heart to duke-in-disguise Albrecht (Ivan Gil-Ortega) and goes mad with grief upon discovering he is customarily betrothed to visiting aristocrat Bathilde (Kasey Polkinghorne).

Snatching his sword, she dances wildly, desperately and so violently that her weak heart collapses under the strain and she dies calling on the Willis, cursing her soul to join the ghosts of maidens betrayed.

Act 2 brings forth the misty scene of Giselle's forest grave at twilight. Myrtha, Queen of the Willis appears and summons her court to weave a deathtrap for the ritual punishment of all who dare step in the forest.

Hilarion (Cass Mortimer Eipper) a rival suitor for Giselle's affections, is summarily dispatched to dance to his death. Surrounded by the vengeful spirits of maidens lost, he has no choice but to accompany them, and their supernatural powers bring about his demise.

Albrecht is similarly caught, and the Queen orders Giselle, the most recent novitiate, to take her revenge, but Giselle, still in love with Albrecht, dances as slowly as she can, delaying time and again, until the break of dawn releases the dark power of the forest and her former love is left regretful and alone.

I enjoyed the opportunity to see one of the Big Ballets (Giselle is often seen as the high point in a dancer's canon of classics, the character is rich with opportunity to display complex emotions and technical skill); however I was a little disappointed that this interpretation chose to give Giselle a weak heart overcome as an explanation for her death - I recall a version I had read about in my mad balletomane tweenhood, where Giselle takes up the sword that reveals Albrecht's true nobility and at the climax of her wild dance, plunges it unto her heart. I'll admit, rather bloodthirsty, but dramatic!

Jayne Smeulders as the title character displayed a bird-like fragility and while dancing well, didn't make me experience the full tragedy of her character. Her eyes were large, but I still felt a distance from her inner life and turmoil, and so was not able to fully feel my heart break along with hers when Albrecht's betrayal was discovered.

Ivan Gil-Ortega was non-threateningly swoon-worthy as Albrecht, and probably had the eyes of a hundred ballet class pupils following his every move across the stage; but his talent and charisma marked him as the perfect leading man, and his soulful gaze soften a character that could have easily been interpreted as a redemptive cad.

The rest of the corps de ballet filled the stage with swirling folkloric motion, there were a few standouts technically amongst the throng, but really they were mostly a movable backdrop for the leads.

But I could see how much all those girls in the audience (some little, some big) enjoyed the show, it is one of the dreams of girlhood... and so despite any critical quibbles will always have the popularity of the masses.