Review-Giselle-Hong Kong Arts Festival
19-2-14
By: Karen Cheung
Frailty, thy name is woman, indeed. Giselle tells the story of a girl who, after realizing that her lover Loys was in fact the Duke Albrecht of Silesia and betrothed to another, descends into madness and dies of heartbreak.
Not only that, but when the Willis seek to avenge her by dancing him to death (let me just repeat that again – yes, dancing him to death), she pleads for his life and in the end, he is spared. In modern day terms, the story would translate into “Girl meets guy, guy lies to girl, girl dies from a broken heart, girls’ sisterhood unleashes vengeance on guy, girl forgives guy anyways.” Not exactly a feminist statement, but plot aside, Giselle was a visually striking, beautifully composed and choreographed piece with top-notch performances delivered by all dancers.
Act One begins with a cheerful tune celebrating the peaceful but vibrant country life. Giselle prances in, dressed in a simple, elegant blue, light as a fairy and brimming with life and curiosity. The flirtatiousness between Loys/Albrecht shone through their playful expressions and bouncy body movements. The noble’s costumes were a sight for the sore eye, full of intricate details and drapery material, though it was a pity that they did not move much in them. Nothing much plot-wise happens in the latter half of the first act until Albrecht’s identity is unveiled, but it was a pure joy to watch the peasants’ dance. They blew each other kisses cheekily, clapped their hands in a burst of lively energy, and each leap and twirl was filled with exuberance. There was also a good use of space and the stage was bustling with youth. One of my favourite arrangements was when Albrecht had his sword drawn, Hilarion was blowing on the horn, and Giselle rested in her mother’s arms; all this painted a dramatic and powerful picture of the events leading up to the tragedy at the end of the act.
Giselle, played by Svetlana Zakharova, was dripping with a sweetness that charmed everyone in the audience. The height of her performance was the madness scene, when, her hair disheveled and her eyes empty, she moved about in awkward angles, completely disoriented. Instead of a lack of grace that could easily accompany these gestures, her delicateness and fragility made each step even more beautiful to behold. The best part was that in all of this the music remained unchanged, still the same jovial song that stands in stark contrast with the events happening onstage, making the emotions even more prominent.
Act Two drops to a minor key and the curtain opens on a melancholic note; the music, together with the grave and the mist, painted an eerie picture of the afterworld. The entrance the Willis made, with their ghostly white tutus and satin veils, was one of the most striking scenes yet. (Albrecht, on the other hand, entered with a black cloak that made him look like a cross between a wizard and a bird.) They also had some of the best choreography in the ballet, such as when they circled the men, entrapping them in their dance.
A move as simple as a change in a feet position was a delight to watch; the steps weren’t elaborate but the perfection with which the moves synchronized to the music and the exact unison the dancers moved in – even when it comes to the same angle of their arms - revealed great technique and practice. The only part I didn’t enjoy was when the dancers, their legs a perfect right angle, moved in opposite directions so as to criss-cross each other; the thumping and balancing made it a little clumsy. The second act met with a minor hiccup when one dancer – a Willi – dropped her veil and it scattered onto the floor. For a while it stayed there at the corner of my eye uncomfortably, but without any dimming of the lights or a fall in the curtains the article miraculously disappeared about 5 minutes later.
Not only were the dances pure eye candy, but they were also very expressive in different ways. In the dance Albrecht and Giselle, freshly arisen from the dead, shared, he attempts to catch her, to touch her, but each time she slips away, eluding him; this works as a metaphor to show that they were now separated by life and death. The curtain also fell while the duke was still dancing, looking as if he was in search for something that was lost forever.
If all the whistles, shouts of “Bravo!” and the number of audience members giving a standing ovation at the end isn’t a good enough indicator for you to go onto URBTIX and get tickets now, I don’t know what is.
Giselle is playing at the Cultural Center through February 22nd. For more information, click here.
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