Giselle

There is a story that love, once given, outlasts even betrayal — and even the grave.

The greatest of the Romantic ballets, performed by Ormond Ballet at The Colosseum in May 2023.

Act I — The Village

Giselle, a peasant girl with a fragile heart and a boundless love of dancing, falls for the charming newcomer Loys — not knowing he is Count Albrecht in disguise, already promised to another. When the gamekeeper Hilarion exposes the deception before the whole village, Giselle’s mind gives way. In ballet’s most famous mad scene, she relives her love, dances her heartbreak, and dies.

Act II — The Forest

Deep in the midnight forest rule the Wilis — spirits of brides betrayed before their wedding day, who force any man they find to dance until he dies. Their queen, Myrtha, summons Giselle from her grave to join them. When a grieving Albrecht comes to lay flowers, the Wilis surround him and condemn him to dance until dawn. But Giselle, loving him still, shields him through the night — and as the morning bells ring, her forgiveness frees them both. The Wilis vanish, and Giselle returns to rest in peace.