The Swedish choreographer, Mats Ek, made dance history in 1982 with his highly successful, essentially non-romantic re-interpretation of Giselle performed by the Ballet Cullberg. While many choreographers had revisited ballet classics, no one had yet dared to stage such a radically different interpretation, particularly of Giselle, the most famous of all Romantic ballets, created in Paris one and a half century ago. The setting has been up-dated to a claustrophobic rural community on some distant island, and his Giselle is a solitary young girl who longs for true love and children of her own. Extremely vulnerable, she breaks down when the man of her dreams betrays her.
While Adam's score remains untouched, Ek has invented new sequences of steps and totally original movements in this strictly contemporary work, as modern today as when it was created. His free approach to movement is ideally suited to Gillot whose large, ample gestures, rapid high jumps and fast spins reflect her love of life. Bewildered by disaster, her arms droop limply down, and her feet rub along the floor. She is pure, spontaneous and natural, revealing inner worlds to Albrecht, superb Nicolas Le Riche, the young man about town, who is fascinated by the richness of her imagination and her sweetness. His white suit reflects his innocence and inability to assume his love for her. When she is finally led to the lunatic asylum, he follows.
Act two takes place in the surrealistic setting of a mental hospital, where pieces of the human body decorate the walls. Myrtha, the Queen of the Wilis, admirably interpreted by the authoritative Stéphanie Romberg, has become the forbidding sister of the ward Giselle is led to after a lobotomy. The nurse serves as a defence against sexual attraction in this self-contained world where the inmates are condemned to frustration. The corps de ballet, and in particular, Caroline Bance, Geraldine Wiart, Muriel Zusperreguy and Laure Muret were outstanding throughout, especially in their straightjackets as they sank into their own world of madness.
Hilarion is one of José Martinez' favourite roles, and he revelled in the powerful leaps and vigorous spins, making the rough country yokel into a figure of compassion as he visits Giselle, hoping it is not too late to bring her to see sense. But, as in the traditional version, she is already in another world.
This is no mere fairy-tale; it's a story of real people. Love, betrayal, madness are all there, softened at the end by a reconciliation between Albrecht and Hilarion, who both love her, but both lose her.
Mats Ek a swedish choreographer, re-interpreted the ballet Giselle in 1982, was very different and daring of him as no one had dared to restage such a popular classical ballet. In this version Giselle a young girl is put into a mental institution.
ReplyDeleteHis movement material is very different to the original ballet, and is modernised. He uses movements such as flexed feet and parallel, which were definitely not used in the original. This makes it look ugly and weird sometimes as his movements are free from technique.
In the first section the setting is greens, and in a rural area, while in the second section it is based in the mental institution where there are body parts all over the backdrop, some of which come across sexual, such as the breasts.
Hillarion has a very good role as he does some amazing movements such as leaps and spins for when he visits giselle to make her see sense. Just like in he traditional version though, Giselle is in another world. Unlike the first Giselle, this is much like real life and real people, not fairytale like with a happy ending. Both Hillarion and Albrecht lose her at the end.