Giselle

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"Giselle" is a Romantic ballet created by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, with music composed by Adolphe Adam. Its narrative drew inspiration from German poet Heinrich Heine's "The Spirits of Nature" and the poem "The Phantom" from "Les Orientales" by French author Victor Hugo. The libretto was completed by Théophile Gautier among others. Premiered in Paris, France in June 1841, it is hailed as "the pinnacle of ballet". The work was the first ballet to extensively employ pointe technique and uses a two-act structure to showcase the aesthetic characteristics of Romantic ballet.The story tells of a peasant girl, Giselle, who falls in love with a count, Albrecht, who is in disguise. When Albrecht's fiancée comes hunting, his true identity is revealed, and Giselle, heartbroken, dies. When Albrecht goes to Giselle's grave to beg for forgiveness, the Queen of the Wilis and her legion of supernatural maidens force him into a "Danse Macabre". Giselle, setting aside their past, protects him. The ballet explores themes of light and darkness, life and death through two acts with distinct artistic styles. The first act is filled with idyllic scenery, while the second unfolds through supernatural imagination, with the female group dance of the ghosts becoming a model of perfection. Composer Adolphe Adam was the first to apply the leitmotif technique throughout an entire ballet.Starting in 1860, classical ballet choreography master Marius Petipa revised the ballet multiple times, laying the foundation for the version seen today. In 1910, Sergei Diaghilev led the Ballets Russes in reviving "Giselle" in Paris, bringing this classic work back to Western Europe. In 1960, with guidance from Soviet ballet experts, the Beijing Dance School (now Beijing Dance Academy) completed the Chinese premiere of "Giselle". In 1991, French choreographer Patrice Bart and Russian choreographer Yuri Posokhov, adhering to the original style of Jean Coralli and Perrot, re-staged "Giselle", producing the version still used by the Paris Opera today. The scenic design and costumes retained the version created in 1924. In 2013, the Grand Théâtre de Genève Ballet presented an adapted version incorporating modern dance elements.