Famed as one of the world’s most romantic & popular ballets, Giselle tells the story of a young peasant girl who dies from a broken heart after discovering her lover is engaged to another woman. She then gets summoned by a group of evil spirits called The Wilis, lead by their Queen, Myrtha. The Wilis are virgin girls who died before they were married & now rise from their graves at night seek revenge from men by dancing them to death. They decide to target Giselle’s lover for death, but Giselle’s great love for him eventually frees him from their grasp.
Sounds intense, right? Definitely an edge-of-your-seat kinda ballet…
The ballet will be performed by dancers from the Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB), accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra at all but one performance. It will also feature guest artist Ksenia Ovsyanick [Staatsballett Berlin], one of the world’s best dancers who partners with CTCB’s Senior Principal Dancer, Daniel Szybkowski in two performances.
Other casts of the role of Giselle are Laura Bosenberg also with Daniel Szybkowski, Kirstel Paterson with Conrad Nusser and Mariette Opperman with Xola Putye. The role of Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, is shared by Rosamund Ford, Claire Spector, Leanè Theunissen and Caitlin Smith, while Hilarion is interpreted by Xola Putye, Craig Pedro and Conrad Nusser.
Here’s a breakdown of the performances and which dancers you’ll see when:
Performance casting: Giselle, Albrecht, Hilarion, Myrtha
Fri 6 July @ 19h30:
Laura Bosenberg, Daniel Szybkowski, Xola Putye, Rosamund Ford
Sat 7 July @ 14h00:
Kirstel Paterson, Conrad Nusser, Craig Pedro, Claire Spector
Sat 7 July @ 19h30:
Mariette Opperman, Xola Putye, Conrad Nusser, Caitlin Smith
Sun 8 July @ 15h00:
Laura Bosenberg, Daniel Szybkowski, Craig Pedro, Leanè Theunissen
Fri 13 July @ 19h30:
Kirstel Paterson, Conrad Nusser, Xola Putye, Caitlin Smith (no orch)
Sat 14 July @ 14h00:
Mariette Opperman, Xola Putye, Conrad Nusser, Leanè Theunissen
Sat 14 July @ 19h30:
Ksenia Ovsyanick (guest artist), Daniel Szybkowski, Xola Putye, Rosamund Ford
Sun 15 July @ 15h00:
Ksenia Ovsyanick (guest artist), Daniel Szybkowski, Craig Pedro, Claire Spector
From a visual perspective, the audience can look forward to beautiful set changes and the original costume designs by Peter Cazalet, produced 40 years ago. So all ‘n all, a beautiful evening out.
Keen to check it out? Then take note of the following important details:
- When? 6 – 15 July 2018
- Where? Artscape Opera House
- How much? Tickets cost R150 – R500
- What time does it start? 19:30
- How long is the performance? 2 hrs (including a 20min interval)
- Where can I buy tickets? Via Computicket over here.
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