The Most Romantic Ghost Story of All Time
For all of us who love to watch ballet, here are some lovely links to the beautifully tragic romantic ballet, Giselle, that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Whether you feel like being cozy in your PJ’s or dressing up like it’s a fancy night out, we hope you love it!Â
The Story of Giselle
Act I
Giselle is a beautiful peasant maid with a love of dance and a weak heart. Duke Albrecht of Silesia is enchanted by her, and disguises himself as a peasent during the village wine festival.
Though at first Giselle resists his advances, he pledges his eternal love to her. However, he has already betrayed her. This is made clear with the arrival of a hunting party, where we meet the Duke of Courland and his beautiful daughter Princess Bathilde, to whom Albrecht is engaged.
Bathilde is beguiled with Giselle’s youthful innocence. When Giselle tells the princess that she is engaged, Bathilde gives her a necklace, neither realizing that they are betrothed to the same man.
Albrecht’s duplicity is discovered by the gamekeeper, Hilarion, who is also in love with Giselle, and a much better match according to Giselle’s protective Mother, who worries about Giselle dancing and hear weak heart. When jealous Hilarion tells of Albrecht’s disguise. Devastated Giselle goes mad, and dies.
Act II
Deep in the forest lies Giselle’s grave. She has become a Wili. The wilis are the ghosts of innocent girls who have died betrayed by their faithless lovers on the eve of their weddings.
Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, finds Hilarion beside Giselle’s grave. She calls upon the rest of the wilis who haunt the forest, coaxing wanderers to dance with them until they die from exhaustion before the dawn. Such is Hilarion’s fate, and by dawn he has died.
Giselle’s grave is next visited by a sorrowful Albrecht. Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, commands Giselle to come from her grave and entice Albrecht to dance with her to his death. Giselle dances with Albrecht all night, as the Wilis only have their dark power at night, if she can keep him alive until dawn’s first light, they will not be able to kill him. Giselle helps Albrecht live until dawn.
Giselle’s apparation dissapears back into her grave, and Albrecht is left alone and heartbroken.
Full Length Productions to Watch from Home!
LIBRETTO by T. Gautier and J. Saint-Georges CHOREOGRAPHIC VERSION by Konstantin Ivanov. Premiere – July 6, 2011 CAST GISELLE – Mikhaylova Kristina ALBERT – Starikov Roman HANS, VILLAGE GAMEKEEPER – Vasiliev Artem BERTHE, GISELLE’S MOTHER – Nikolaeva Tatiana DUKE, ALBERT’S FATHER – Saraikin Ilya BATHILDE, ALBERT’S FIANCEE – Novozhilova Alla WILFRID, ALBERT’S SQUIRE – Novikov Maksim MYRTHA, THE QUEEN OF THE WILIS – Sergeeva Svetlana The Orchestra under the direction of the conductor Alexander Andrianov.
Bolshoi Ballet, Performance of Giselle
Royal Danish Ballet’s performance of Giselle
You Might Also Like…
Must try Healthy Brownies!
In honor of a day we hope you all celebrate (national brownie day), lol, we thought we would share 3 of our favorite recipes for healthy brownies! For the Pumpkin Fiend Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies from Lorna Jane Activewear’s Move Nourish Believe! The pumpkin in...
Amanda Seyfried’s Pilates Workouts!
Tips from Amanda Seyfried, who says she enjoys #Pilates on weekends! The actress combines Pilates into a weekly workout schedule of running, plus 3, 45 minute sessions on top of her weekend Pilates in order to stay “long and lean”. Seyfried prioritizes...
The Little Black Dress Barre
I just produced a barre workout specifically catered to that “little black dress”. A staple in any woman’s wardrobe, and one which we should embrace! Barre gives us the tools to do so. Because it’s a full body workout, you tone your legs, refine your beautiful upper...
Win a Fittbe Hat or Tank
It’s simple Fittbe Friends – Your kind words mean EVERYTHING. If you would leave us a kind word on the App Store or on Google Play, we will enter you to win a Fittbe Tank or Cap! Here’s how to do it! 1. Open up the iTunes App Store 2. In the search...
Best Kept Secrets from the Word’s Greatest Achievers. Why Today is the Day to Jump in with Both Feet!
Every day you don’t start… you are falling behind The time to begin is right here, right now. Those who achieve big have one thing in common. They go for it, relentlessly! What is stopping you from going after your goals? Dreaming is great, but at a...
Motivation for your Day!
Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today and you will make your tomorrow. – L. Ron Hubbard. But how? By focusing on the now… the right now. Today, make a promise to yourself to chase your goal. To relentlessly start. That’s how you get to...
Must Try Leg Tone Up
It’s time for an all time favorite leg series which is quick and fun. Start by taking a position on your hands and knees, and keep your abs tightening toward your spine. Reach one leg out to the side – this is a toughie! Make sure you keep that leg...
Breakfast Picks for the Week!
In an interview with Time, Dr. Walter Willett, chair of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health suggested the excellent and energizing breakfast of “a combination of whole grains, nuts and fruit, plus a bit of yogurt.” We loved this idea –...
Your Spine will Smile with these 2 Pilates Exercises!
Time to share our top 2 morning exercises from the Pilates repertoire – it’s the Pilates roll up and oblique twists. Why we love the Pilates Roll Up. It’s such a feel good spine experience. You get to roll through your spine and really stretch out....
