© Jean-Luc Tanghe Maina Gielgud's Giselle Diaries Diary 1 - 20th April Diary 2 - 15th May Ballet du Rhin 'Giselle' reviews Boston Ballet 'Giselle' reviews 'Giselle' reviews 'Dichterliebe' reviews Madec in reviews Lilly in reviews recent Ballet du Rhin reviews more Bruce Marriott reviews

Maina Gielgud loves Giselle too. She did her first production for Australian Ballet in 1986 (when she was director) and last year created a stir in the USA with her production for Boston Ballet. Words like "Profound, exemplary, intelligent, elegant, cohesive, passionate", featured heavily in reviews. Gielgud's latest production, heralded for many readers by the diary she has started writing for Ballet.co, is for the Mullhouse-based Ballet du Rhin which I recently saw in Strasbourg.

The Opera House in Strasbourg turned out to be a wonderful delight. An ideal size at 1300 seats and with a cared-for rather than restored look of cherubs, old gold, faded reds and creams. It has the feel of a slightly larger and unrestored Bath. Sigh! The audience was a mix of people - rather like Birmingham and there for ballet rather than corporate or posh social reasons. You can get to Strasbourg (old and lots to see) by Ryan Air for £29.09 return from Stanstead as I nearly did had I not missed the plane!

The company is 34 strong, augmented to nearly 40 dancers for Giselle, and does a mix of modern and less modern work. The director, Bertrand d'At scoffs at the idea that with 34 dancers you can't tackle big works - you just need to be inventive and have a company that can change costumes very quickly he says. Recent productions have included Romeo and Juliet and Prince of the Pagodas (wish I'd seen that) and it's a shame they are not really known in the UK - hopefully that will change at some point.

Bertrand d'At's Dichterliebe
Photograph Jean-Luc Tanghe ©

Ballet du Rhin are pairing Giselle with Dichterliebe (The Loves of a Poet) choreographed by director d'At. The two are linked by Heinrich Heine, the German poet whose writing spawned them. Dichterliebe opens the evening but it actually uses some of the Giselle set. All up it's quite tempting to view the programme as a homage to 19th century Romanticism. That's squashed by Bertrand d'At in a programme note on Dichterliebe - "It wasn't a homage nor even romantic - it's a meditation on the death of the individual in this era, which is particularly worrying". On a less intellectual level Dichterliebe is there because the girls were getting Giselle and he wanted something for the boys in the company!

The two pieces are very different with Dichterliebe danced to 16 Schumann songs with a baritone on stage, piano on stage, dancers, a chair and a tree (rather stylised) which is the link with Giselle. My difficulty (and it's all mine) is that I struggle with German songs - and I mean really struggle - because the sound depresses me rotten.

The baritone is the centre of attention and 12 male dancers, dressed in light and flowing shirts and trousers, caper about, often individually, illuminating each song. Some songs are of torment and others of love I think. The movement is fluid and free and what jumped out at me was the technical facility they all seemed to have - very impressive for one used to the UK's different company priorities. One dancer really stood out for me - Boyd Lau. Simply he was the smoothest and most artistic male dancer I've seen for some considerable time. Arms and hands flowed with such beautiful and musical grace. The piece ended with an Angel, complete with big wings, who circles and comes to embrace, protect and comfort the poet/singer - a great ending and pure theatre. Choreographically I've not got so much to say, other than it proved a terrific vehicle for showcasing the male dancers. And it's always special seeing a company for the very first time.

Bertrand d'At's Dichterliebe
Photograph Jean-Luc Tanghe ©

I started the piece with a list of American critics' epithets on the Gielgud Giselle for Boston and as I was coming home I was trying to think of my own terse words about what I found to be a great production: "Masterful, compact, respectful, classical, traditional, thrilling, gut wrenching" came to mind - though not necessarily in that order. This production feels like it's the original Giselle, as intended for the audience now, and other productions (with the exception of Peter Wright's perhaps) have gone off the rails a bit, inadvertently or otherwise. There is an awful lot of reverence, understanding and belief in romantic ballet here.

The action in Act 1 feels taughter overall though there is still time for peasants grape picking, dancing and the hunting screens complete with 5 well behaved dogs. The stage was well full too. The peasants pdd - gloriously colourful and sharp - was danced by Shannon Lilly (ex San Francisco Ballet and Northern Ballet Thetare) and Boyd Lau again, though he looked slightly less the dance god this time - shame! Lilly also dances Giselle and I was sorry I missed her because she is a real gutsy and dramatic ballerina - there is attitude there. But all the main roles showed thorough preparation and a strong belief in character and the plot - it matters to them and so it mattered to us.

The mime in Act 1 looked foreshortened - but I'm used to the Peter Wright version which makes much of it. This is more integrated in and given by a more homely Berthe who may not like Albrecht, but doesn't hate him as seems to be the case in most productions - more believable I think. The mad scene and the final Act 1 tableau are simply the best I've seen, vivid and natural and with Albrecht constantly hovering in his torment. The applause was a while coming, the entire audience being overcome.

Stephanie Madec and Sylvain Bourel in Giselle
Photograph Jean-Luc Tanghe ©

The leads were Stephanie Madec and Sylvain Boruel - a tall and stylish pairing, she elegant and he a prince that would break many hearts I think. But this felt more of an ensemble piece with the whole company acting their socks off.

The corps in Act 2 were particularly impressive with as strong a long diagonal of Wilis as you would find anywhere (including the Kirov). They were all equally spaced and of the same height - a real metaphor for their cold mechanical and chilling nature. Madec and Boruel also blossomed and fused in this act to the most beautiful of Adam's score.

Ballet du Rhin's corps in Giselle
Photograph Jean-Luc Tanghe ©

There were a few wrinkles, notably the incredibly slow conducting which the dancers somehow managed to cover but in reality they would have been far better off dispatching Hilarion and Wilfred to have a not-very-gentle chat with the man in the pit. I do miss the full-on mime too - I know modern audiences struggle but it's so expressive and we need more not less.

The costumes (Jean-Marc Puissant), much worried about in the diaries, looked good - they are ochre based and muted - a rich, colourful show in Act 1 but not dominating. Similarly the set supported the story rather than dominating it.

A good night of new dancers doing great work - I only wish there were more readers there to share it with. I also hope that Maina Gielgud gets to do more Giselle's for the world (and other pieces too of course) - and one nearer home would be particularly appreciated.