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- I'm officially hooked! -
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Sunday, May 14, 2006
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Okay, I spent the entire day in Houston yesterday, and all for a ballet. And it was worth it!
I have never seen ballet live, though I have watched it a lot on TV. The Miller Outdoor Theatre was offering a free showing of Giselle. Giselle is the story of a peasant girl by the name of, you guessed it, Giselle; apparently Giselle loves to dance, but she's sickly, so if she overexerts herself, she can die. Albrecht, a young prince, has fallen in love with the beautiful peasant and decides to disguise himself so he can court her. However, he has competition from the local gamekeeper. Well, Albrecht and Giselle fall in love, and Giselle's mom gets upset with her for dancing. Hilarion, the gamekeeper, gets jealous of Albrecht and is determined to find out who this "peasant" really is. A count and his hunting party arrive in the village and ask to dine with Giselle's mother. The count has a young daughter who just so happens to be engaged to Albrecht. While dining, Giselle and the count's daughter strike up a conversation, and Giselle dances for her. Hilarion reveals Albrecht's true identity, and Giselle finds out that her love is already engaged. Insane with grief, Giselle attempts to kill herself with Albrecht's sword, but it is taken away from her, and she dies any way in the arms of her mother. Upon her death, Giselle becomes a Wilis--a spirit of a woman who has been jilted by her lover before their wedding day. The Wilis come out between midnight and dawn, and they lure any man passing by into dancing until he dies. Hilarion comes to Giselle's grave to mourn, but in hearing the Wilis, he runs away. Albrecht comes in to mourn Giselle's death as well, and she rises. They exit, and Hilarion enters. He is forced to dance by the Wilis and he dies. Albrecht re-enters, and the Queen forces him to dance with Giselle. Even though he betrayed her, she still loves him and in the end manages to save him.
Anyway, I loved watching the production; the experience live is so different and more moving than on TV, and I can't wait to go see another one.
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