Akram Khan’s Giselle, English National Ballet
Erina Takahashi as Giselle in Akram Khan’s Giselle © Camilla Greenwell
I would have loved to have been in the room when Akram Khan suggested giving dancers in Giselle staves.
The haunting image of Wilis beating sticks on the stage floor has captured my imagination for years. And finally, I’ve been able to witness this legendary contemporary narrative ballet for myself.
While the original story of love, betrayal and forgiveness may be the same (peasant woman falls in love with man, man actually prince, woman dies of heartbreak, woman joins the Wilis – women who died after being betrayed by their lovers –, woman saves man from their wrath), there is nothing traditional about this interpretation.
Khan and his creative team have upped the drama tenfold, creating a work that feels as much a blockbuster thriller as a live dance show. The single set piece, a large wall, is a character in and of itself. It opens and closes the show, overlooking proceedings throughout, and closes the first act by rising into the air and spinning as Albrecht mourns Giselle’s death. Lighting is also used to great effect, creating unnerving shadows that add to the sense of uncanny.
English National Ballet in Akram Khan’s Giselle © Camilla Greenwell
But it’s the score that is the real star of the show. The opening rumbling note throws all expectations of the classical ballet out of the window as it builds in intensity and climaxes into silence (a motif that feels a little overused by the second act). It is truly the emotional driver of the piece, making up for when the choreography and cast struggle to give this work the emotional welly it deserves.
Khan’s choreography is not subtle. It is expansive, taking up space as dancers wade across the floor, taking huge steps and bravura leaps. His group work is spell binding, most notably during Giselle’s ‘Mad Scene’ where her fellow villagers encircle her and then canter in front and behind, arms stuck out in front, to demonstrate her tumultuous mental state. An award worthy scene if ever I saw one. As for the sticks? A great, multi-faceted prop for the Wilis in Act 2, used both to attack and pin down Albrecht, while also showing their attempted conversion of Giselle and her later resistance to save her love.
Erina Takahashi as Giselle and James Streeter as Albrecht in Akram Khan’s Giselle © Camilla Greenwell
Both Erik Woolhouse (Hilarion) and Sangeun Lee (Myrtha) were impressive interpreters of Khan’s dramatic style. Woolhouse’s powerful stage presence and terrific leap sequences often stole the show, while Lee was a hypnotising Myrtha, her unruly hair covering her face in a way that made one think of Bertha Rochester in Jane Eyre (aka the ‘mad woman in the attic’).
These star performances often overshadowed those of our leads. At times, both Fernanda Oliveira (Giselle) and Aitor Arrieta (Albrecht) struggled to muster the stage presence required and got lost amongst the crowd. This all came to a head during the final pas de deux. What should have been a heart-crushing climax in which our two lovers fight for their love, lacked an overwhelming emotional intensity from our dancers and the edge-of-your-seat choreography we’d experienced up until this point. Emotional? Of course. But only because of the score.
★★★★
Akram Khan’s Giselle by English National Ballet
Sadler’s Wells, London / 23 September 2024
Tickets bought with own money
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