- 11/22(Fri)12:00-12/6(Fri)12:00 25% Discount for Weiwuying member.
11/29(Fri)12:00-12/6(Fri)12:00 20% Discount for Audience Overall.
- Presenter: Weiwuying
- Duration is 115 minutes with a 20-minute intermission.
- Age guidance 7+
- Latecomers must follow staff instructions for entry and re-entry.
- For Group Purchase Discounts, please contact 07-262-6666.
- 10% off for Weiwuying Lifestyle member
- Weiwuying Youth member: 25% ticket discount for your first purchase. The additional ticket discount same as Lifestyle members.
※ID and Youth membership card are required at the door. - Weiwuying Unlimited member: 30% ticket discount for your first purchase. The additional ticket discount same as Lifestyle members.
- For details, please see Weiwuying Members Benefit
English National Ballet: Akram Khan's Giselle
"The ballet is a beautiful and intelligent remaking of the beloved classic'──The New York Times "The 19th-century Romantic masterpiece has time-travelled and been turned on its head"──The Times⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A triumph. A work of immense confidence and scouring anger"──The Independent⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Destined to become a contemporary classic...sensational"──The Stage⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Akram Khan’s bewitching ballet is magnificently danced"──The Guardian⭐⭐⭐⭐ "An absolutely stunning 'Giselle': Plenty of dance companies remake the classics — none quite like this"──Chicago Tribune⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
 |
©Laurent Liotardo
As the curtain rises, dancers in shadow push against a forbidding wall. From that moment on, Akram Khan's Giselle stuns with powerful images.
Mesmerising choreography, atmospheric lighting by Mark HENDERSON and a towering set by Academy Award winner Tim YIP conjure up a condemned factory and the vengeful ghosts that appear in its shadows.
The ominous score by Vincenzo LAMAGNA - adapted from the original by Adolphe ADAM and recorded by English National Ballet Philharmonic – intensifies the story's emotional impact.
See the greatest romantic ballet and its story of love, betrayal, and redemption, boldly reimagined.
SYNOPSIS
Act I
Giselle is one of a community of migrant garment factory workers (the Outcasts). Dispossessed of their jobs by the factory's closure, and separated by a high wall from their hopes of livelihood and security, the Outcasts function as little more than exotic entertainment for the factory Landlords. In Act I, the wealthy Albrecht disguises himself as an Outcast in order to visit his lover Giselle. But his presence is noted by Hilarion – Giselle's would-be lover – a shapeshifting? 'fixer' who trades with and mimics the Landlords for his own and his community's profit.
Albrecht's wooing of Giselle is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of the Landlords. Seeing his fiancée Bathilde among them, Albrecht tries to hide. Giselle recognizes the fine dress worn by Bathilde as the product of her own factory labour. The Outcasts dance for the Landlords until Albrecht and Hilarion disturb the Ceremony with their conflict. Bathilde's father confronts Albrecht, forcing him to return to Bathilde and to their world. When he submits and returns to Bathilde, Giselle is driven mad with grief. The Landlord gives a command, and the Outcasts encircle Giselle. When the crowd disperses, her lifeless body is revealed. Denying any responsibility, the Landlords retreat beneath the Wall.
Act II
A wrecked, abandoned 'ghost' factory is revealed – a place where Giselle and her female co-workers have laboured, and many have died. Here Albrecht, grieving for Giselle, confronts and condemns the Landlords.
Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis (ghosts of factory workers who seek revenge for the wrongs done to them in life), enters, driving Albrecht away. She summons Giselle from her lifeless body into the realm of death, to join the company of the remorseless Wilis.
Hilarion enters to mourn at Giselle's grave. The Wilis surround him, demanding retribution for Giselle's death, and Hilarion is brutally killed.
Albrecht returns and becomes aware of Giselle's presence. The lovers are reunited on the threshold between life and death. Breaking the cycle of violence – and defying Myrtha's command – Giselle forgives Albrecht and releases him into life.
The Wilis depart with Giselle, and Albrecht, now an outcast from his own community, is left alone by the Wall.
Creative and Production Team
Direction and Choreography｜Akram Khan
Visual and Costume Designer｜Tim YIP
Composition and Sound Designer｜Vincenzo LAMAGNA (after the original score by Adolphe ADAM)
Orchestration｜Gavin SUTHERLAND
Lighting Designer｜Mark HENDERSON
Dramaturgy｜Ruth LITTLE
Assistant Choreographer｜Andrej PETROVIC
Repetiteur｜Mavin KHOO
Sound Designer｜Yvonne GILBERT
Artists Introduction
English National Ballet
English National Ballet has a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1950 as London Festival Ballet by the great English dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, it has been at the forefront of ballet's growth and evolution ever since.
English National Ballet brings world class ballet to the widest possible audience through performances across the UK and on eminent international stages; its distinguished orchestra, English National Ballet Philharmonic; its digital platforms Ballet on Demand and BalletActive; being a UK leader in creative learning and engagement practice, building innovative partnerships to deliver flagship programmes such as Dance for Parkinson's; and through talent development initiatives including Ballet Futures which looks to create a more diverse and inclusive future for the artform.
English National Ballet continues to add ground-breaking new works to its repertoire whilst celebrating the tradition of great classical ballet, gaining acclaim for artistic excellence and creativity. 2019 saw the Company enter a new chapter in its history with a move to a purpose-built state-of-the-art home in East London, allowing a renewed commitment to creativity, ambition, and connection to more people, near and far, than ever before.
Akram Khan
Akram Khan (he/him) is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists of today. In just over 22 years he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as Jungle Book reimagined, Outwitting the Devil, XENOS, Until the Lions, Kaash, iTMOi (in the mind of igor), DESH, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees.
As an instinctive and natural collaborator, Khan has been a magnet to world-class artists from other cultures and disciplines. His previous collaborators include the National Ballet of China, actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem, choreographers / dancers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Israel Galván, singer Kylie Minogue, indie rock band Florence and the Machine, visual artists Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Tim Yip, writer Hanif Kureishi and composers Steve Reich, Nitin Sawhney, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost.
Khan's work is recognised as being profoundly moving, in which his intelligently crafted storytelling is effortlessly intimate and epic. Described by the Financial Times as an artist "who speaks tremendously of tremendous things", a highlight of his career was the creation of a section of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony that was received with unanimous acclaim.
As a choreographer, Khan has developed a close collaboration with English National Ballet. He created the short piece Dust, part of the Lest We Forget programme, which led to an invitation to create his own critically acclaimed version of the iconic romantic ballet Giselle. Creature is Khan's latest work for English National Ballet.
Khan has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career including the Laurence Olivier Award, the Bessie Award (New York Dance and Performance Award), the prestigious ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts) Distinguished Artist Award, the Fred and Adele Astaire Award, the Herald Archangel Award at the Edinburgh International Festival, the South Bank Sky Arts Award and eight Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. Khan was awarded an MBE for services to dance in 2005. He has recently been announced as the new Chancellor of De Montfort University, and he is also an Honorary Graduate of University of London as well as Roehampton and De Montfort Universities, and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban.
Khan is an Associate Artist of Sadler's Wells and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London and Curve, Leicester.
 |
©Laurent Liotardo
Co-produced by Sadler's Wells and Manchester International Festival.
English National Ballet: Akram Khan's Giselle
"The ballet is a beautiful and intelligent remaking of the beloved classic'──The New York Times "The 19th-century Romantic masterpiece has time-travelled and been turned on its head"──The Times⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A triumph. A work of immense confidence and scouring anger"──The Independent⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Destined to become a contemporary classic...sensational"──The Stage⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Akram Khan’s bewitching ballet is magnificently danced"──The Guardian⭐⭐⭐⭐ "An absolutely stunning 'Giselle': Plenty of dance companies remake the classics — none quite like this"──Chicago Tribune⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
|
©Laurent Liotardo
As the curtain rises, dancers in shadow push against a forbidding wall. From that moment on, Akram Khan's Giselle stuns with powerful images.
Mesmerising choreography, atmospheric lighting by Mark HENDERSON and a towering set by Academy Award winner Tim YIP conjure up a condemned factory and the vengeful ghosts that appear in its shadows.
The ominous score by Vincenzo LAMAGNA - adapted from the original by Adolphe ADAM and recorded by English National Ballet Philharmonic – intensifies the story's emotional impact.
See the greatest romantic ballet and its story of love, betrayal, and redemption, boldly reimagined.
SYNOPSIS
Act I
Giselle is one of a community of migrant garment factory workers (the Outcasts). Dispossessed of their jobs by the factory's closure, and separated by a high wall from their hopes of livelihood and security, the Outcasts function as little more than exotic entertainment for the factory Landlords. In Act I, the wealthy Albrecht disguises himself as an Outcast in order to visit his lover Giselle. But his presence is noted by Hilarion – Giselle's would-be lover – a shapeshifting? 'fixer' who trades with and mimics the Landlords for his own and his community's profit.
Albrecht's wooing of Giselle is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of the Landlords. Seeing his fiancée Bathilde among them, Albrecht tries to hide. Giselle recognizes the fine dress worn by Bathilde as the product of her own factory labour. The Outcasts dance for the Landlords until Albrecht and Hilarion disturb the Ceremony with their conflict. Bathilde's father confronts Albrecht, forcing him to return to Bathilde and to their world. When he submits and returns to Bathilde, Giselle is driven mad with grief. The Landlord gives a command, and the Outcasts encircle Giselle. When the crowd disperses, her lifeless body is revealed. Denying any responsibility, the Landlords retreat beneath the Wall.
Act II
A wrecked, abandoned 'ghost' factory is revealed – a place where Giselle and her female co-workers have laboured, and many have died. Here Albrecht, grieving for Giselle, confronts and condemns the Landlords.
Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis (ghosts of factory workers who seek revenge for the wrongs done to them in life), enters, driving Albrecht away. She summons Giselle from her lifeless body into the realm of death, to join the company of the remorseless Wilis.
Hilarion enters to mourn at Giselle's grave. The Wilis surround him, demanding retribution for Giselle's death, and Hilarion is brutally killed.
Albrecht returns and becomes aware of Giselle's presence. The lovers are reunited on the threshold between life and death. Breaking the cycle of violence – and defying Myrtha's command – Giselle forgives Albrecht and releases him into life.
The Wilis depart with Giselle, and Albrecht, now an outcast from his own community, is left alone by the Wall.
Creative and Production Team
Direction and Choreography｜Akram Khan
Visual and Costume Designer｜Tim YIP
Composition and Sound Designer｜Vincenzo LAMAGNA (after the original score by Adolphe ADAM)
Orchestration｜Gavin SUTHERLAND
Lighting Designer｜Mark HENDERSON
Dramaturgy｜Ruth LITTLE
Assistant Choreographer｜Andrej PETROVIC
Repetiteur｜Mavin KHOO
Sound Designer｜Yvonne GILBERT
Artists Introduction
English National Ballet
English National Ballet has a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1950 as London Festival Ballet by the great English dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, it has been at the forefront of ballet's growth and evolution ever since.
English National Ballet brings world class ballet to the widest possible audience through performances across the UK and on eminent international stages; its distinguished orchestra, English National Ballet Philharmonic; its digital platforms Ballet on Demand and BalletActive; being a UK leader in creative learning and engagement practice, building innovative partnerships to deliver flagship programmes such as Dance for Parkinson's; and through talent development initiatives including Ballet Futures which looks to create a more diverse and inclusive future for the artform.
English National Ballet continues to add ground-breaking new works to its repertoire whilst celebrating the tradition of great classical ballet, gaining acclaim for artistic excellence and creativity. 2019 saw the Company enter a new chapter in its history with a move to a purpose-built state-of-the-art home in East London, allowing a renewed commitment to creativity, ambition, and connection to more people, near and far, than ever before.
Akram Khan
Akram Khan (he/him) is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists of today. In just over 22 years he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as Jungle Book reimagined, Outwitting the Devil, XENOS, Until the Lions, Kaash, iTMOi (in the mind of igor), DESH, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees.
As an instinctive and natural collaborator, Khan has been a magnet to world-class artists from other cultures and disciplines. His previous collaborators include the National Ballet of China, actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem, choreographers / dancers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Israel Galván, singer Kylie Minogue, indie rock band Florence and the Machine, visual artists Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Tim Yip, writer Hanif Kureishi and composers Steve Reich, Nitin Sawhney, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost.
Khan's work is recognised as being profoundly moving, in which his intelligently crafted storytelling is effortlessly intimate and epic. Described by the Financial Times as an artist "who speaks tremendously of tremendous things", a highlight of his career was the creation of a section of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony that was received with unanimous acclaim.
As a choreographer, Khan has developed a close collaboration with English National Ballet. He created the short piece Dust, part of the Lest We Forget programme, which led to an invitation to create his own critically acclaimed version of the iconic romantic ballet Giselle. Creature is Khan's latest work for English National Ballet.
Khan has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career including the Laurence Olivier Award, the Bessie Award (New York Dance and Performance Award), the prestigious ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts) Distinguished Artist Award, the Fred and Adele Astaire Award, the Herald Archangel Award at the Edinburgh International Festival, the South Bank Sky Arts Award and eight Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. Khan was awarded an MBE for services to dance in 2005. He has recently been announced as the new Chancellor of De Montfort University, and he is also an Honorary Graduate of University of London as well as Roehampton and De Montfort Universities, and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban.
Khan is an Associate Artist of Sadler's Wells and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London and Curve, Leicester.
|
©Laurent Liotardo
Co-produced by Sadler's Wells and Manchester International Festival.
- 11/22(Fri)12:00-12/6(Fri)12:00 25% Discount for Weiwuying member.
11/29(Fri)12:00-12/6(Fri)12:00 20% Discount for Audience Overall.
- Presenter: Weiwuying
- Duration is 115 minutes with a 20-minute intermission.
- Age guidance 7+
- Latecomers must follow staff instructions for entry and re-entry.
- For Group Purchase Discounts, please contact 07-262-6666.
- 10% off for Weiwuying Lifestyle member
- Weiwuying Youth member: 25% ticket discount for your first purchase. The additional ticket discount same as Lifestyle members.
※ID and Youth membership card are required at the door. - Weiwuying Unlimited member: 30% ticket discount for your first purchase. The additional ticket discount same as Lifestyle members.
- For details, please see Weiwuying Members Benefit
