Akram Khan's Giselle

Saddlers Wells - 18/09/24

Powerful portrayal of the story of 'Giselle' shown through Akram Khan's signature dance style, A perfect fusion of contemporary and ballet with a community of dancers that are perfectly in tune with one another.

Review

After 5 years Akram Khan's 'Giselle' has made it's return to 'Saddlers Wells' and this re-imagined classic brings a dark and sombre tone. It is no wonder this production has made a return, because it is a dance masterpiece. Khan a pillar in modern dance history, his ability to create a compelling story through his authentic choreography is highly celebrated. He has received an array of awards/recognitions for his work, such as two Laurence Oliviers and he is an associate artist of Sadler's Wells. 'Giselle' is performed by 'The English National Ballet', as Khan has collaborated with them a handful of times in the past. The reincarnation of the show is part of The English National Ballet's 75th season!

'Giselle' is a haunting story of a community of overworked, mistreated, migrant garment factory workers and they are known as the 'outcasts'. The curtains part to reveal huge grey stone wall and the unit of weak outcasts pushing the wall back. The tied, chain of arms formation of the dancers portrays the community unit, how they all hold and depend on one another. 'Giselle' is a character in amongst the outcasts and has fallen in love with Albrecht a wealthy man, who is not welcome in the community of outcasts, because of his privilege and they are a barrier between the lovers. Quite literally. The wealthy landlords exploit the desperate outcasts for amusement, Albrecht's fiancé is amongst the landlords 'Bathilde' and her father forces Albrecht to return to their world. The tragedy that follows is harrowing and epic.

Khan's ability to fuse contemporary dance elements with ballet to make them his own is eye opening. The deliberate deviation and alterations of the particular elements of the ballet form; off balances, contortions of the body and hand/arm gestures create an authenticity of the choreography. The voice of the story gains clarity from these choices and the volume of the emotion is heightened. The way pointe work is used in the second act is unique, it is used to show the realm between life and death. The characters that can maintain their balance on pointe show that they have departed and the dancers play with off balances to display a potential 'limbo' between life and death. The intimacy between Albrecht played by James Streeter and Giselle played by Erina Takahashi is electric. Their embrace is filled with strong emotion. The audience create a strong connection with the pair and the community forcing them apart is hard to watch. There is an interesting moment where the dancers form an 'x' and the two are kept from eachother within this rotating 'x' formation, this was visually moving. Khan's ability to display a story through movement is an stunning art form.

One of the other story telling elements was the intriguing costume, designed my Tim Yip. The wealthy land lords wear huge, eye catching costumes, one wears a white dress that makes her look a bit like a square and they were sparkling jewellery. One interesting use of costume was when Giselle notice's Bathilde is wearing an item of clothing that she recognises from the garment factory, she points it out and Bathilde holds it out as if giving it to her and then drops it on the floor, to indicate her distaste towards Giselle. The outcasts wear neutral colours and basic dresses and baggy trousers/tops that are not fitted. The difference between the two clearly shows the difference in status.

It is a production that will make a stamp in dance history. However, it is not a show for everyone, as it is very artistic and symbolic. If you want an easy watch that you do not need your thinking cap on for then this is not for you. The piece is for the lovers of theatre and dance. Akram Khan has choreographed some very interesting dances and this is up there with some of his best. Giselle is a moving show and I found myself gasping for breath after many scenes, because I was the edge of my seat. This is show is truly epic.