Giselle

We have been taking advantage of the many great "deal" websites out there. We've been trying to save money by using those to pick our dates and fun family times. I found tickets to the ballet Giselle on the Social Living website. I knew Sydney would love it, so I got both of us tickets. It was on a Saturday night but didn't start until 8pm. That's crazy late for Sydney since her weekend bed time is 9. A word of advise to anyone bringing your young daughter to a ballet: Find out what the story line is before you go. It's a love story not that much unlike Romeo and Juliet. For all you who really want to know the story line, I've copied it rather than give you my summary of it (for my time sake :) )

The ballet is set in the Rhineland of the Middle Ages during the grape harvest. When the curtain rises on the first act, the cottage of Giselle and her mother Berthe are seen on one side, and opposite is seen the cottage of Duke Albrecht of Silesia, a nobleman who has disguised himself as a peasant named Loys, in order to sow a few wild oats before his marriage to Bathilde, the daughter of the Prince of Houston. Against the advice of his squire Wilfrid, Albrecht flirts with Giselle, who falls completely in love with him. Hilarion, a gamekeeper, is also in love with Giselle and warns the girl against trusting the stranger, but Giselle refuses to listen. Albrecht and Giselle dance a love duet, with Giselle picking the petals from a daisy to divine her lover's sincerity. The couple is interrupted by Giselle's mother, who, worried about her daughter's fragile health, ushers the girl into the cottage.

Horns are heard in the distance and Loys retreats from the scene. A hunting party enters and refreshments are served. Among the hunters are Bathilde and her father. Giselle returns to the scene, dances for the party, and receives a necklace from Bathilde. When the party departs, Loys reappears with the grape harvesters. A celebration begins. Giselle and the harvesters dance but the merriment is brought to a halt by Hilarion who, having investigated the Duke's cottage now brandishes the nobleman's horn and sword. The horn is sounded, and the hunting party returns. The truth about Loys (Albrecht) is learned and Giselle goes mad and dies. Although Giselle takes Albrecht's sword, her death is actually a result of her weak heart.

The second act is set in a moonlit glade near Giselle's grave. Hilarion is grieving Giselle's death. He is frightened from the glade by the Wilis, female spirits who, jilted before their wedding day, rise from their graves at night and seek revenge upon men by dancing them to death. Giselle is summoned from her grave and welcomed by the supernatural creatures who then quickly disappear. Albrecht enters searching for Giselle's grave, and she appears before him. He begs forgiveness. Giselle, her love undiminished, readily forgives him and the two dance. The scene ends with Albrecht in pursuit of Giselle as she disappears into the forest.

Hilarion enters pursued by the Wilis who throw him to his death in a nearby lake. The Wilis then surround Albrecht and sentence him to death. He begs to be spared but Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis refuses. Giselle protects him from the Wilis when they force him to dance. Day breaks and the Wilis retreat to their graves, but Giselle's love has saved Albrecht. By not succumbing to feelings of vengeance and hatred that define the Wilis, Giselle is freed from any association with them, and returns to her grave to rest in peace.

Yes that's correct. For those of you who didn't read the above plot, I brought my daughter to ballet where the leading lady kills herself because she learns the truth about the one she loves. Sydney and I read the above plot together. I didn't even think to read it first in case there might be something I didn't want her to hear. Again, word to the wise: read the plot to yourself first and then to your young daughter. It allowed us to talk about like how sad it is that people lie about who they are, and we shouldn't kill ourselves if the person we loves turns out to love someone else...and many other topics. That being said, the ballet was very well performed and beautiful. Sydney sat through the two and a half hour production and loved it! Shockingly she fell asleep on the way home...at 11pm. It was a lovely date night.