The Perfect Giselle!

[James Wilkie]

I am lucky enough to be used as a student extra in the Royal Ballets version of Giselle and have just watched Sylvie Guilliem portray Giselle.

I think that Giselle is the Everest of ballets both for male and female. For the female you have to show the innocence and vulnerability in Act 1 and than the transition into Act 2, it is one that few ballerinas in my mind achieve. The male on the other hand has show his change from nobility to acting with in the peasant crowd although he has some difficulty in doing so which is why he has his trusted Hilarion. I think that this ballet is one of the greats.

While watching from the wings some members of the company were commenting on the fact that Sylvie looks too old and tall to be a convincing Giselle. In Act 1 she danced beautifully and most of the Giselle quality was there.People may think that I am out of order by saying what I am but when people like the wonderful Larrisa Lezhnina danced the role then it is only right to look at the two Giselles. I am not comparing them because every Giselle has her own quality.

Laurent Hiliare was her Albrecht and he was very good they played to one another that showed up a childlike humour that Giselle is often lacking.

Act 2 was hard to see because most of the company were marking but I shall write and tell you what they are like.

Back to the point- is there a perfect Giselle? Alessandra Ferri is a lovely Giselle in Act1 but for me she lacked something in Act2. Bruce Sansom is one of my favourite Albrechts he dances the role so convincingly, you are able to see and believe his anguish in Act2. If anyone has seen a very good cast for Giselle or who thinks that a dancer is destined to perform Giselle then please write. I shall tell you later who my favourite Giselle is.

[Alexandra]

I think there are many "perfect" Giselles. Well, if not many, then at least several. Gelsey Kirkland broke your heart, she was so fragile. Carla Fracci looked up to Heaven when those bells sounded at the end of the second act, somehow turned, by her good deeds, from peasant girl to Wili to nun. Makarova never moved me, but I'm in the minority; and her solos in the second act were divine. One of the best Giselles I ever saw was the then-20-year-old Rose Gad in Copenhagen. I've never seen soubresauts like hers. She floated, and made everyone else I've ever seen look like a kangaroo. Lis Jeppesen (also in Copenhagen) was divinely Romantic, halfway between Fonteyn and Fracci.

I didn't see them, but Fonteyn, Maximova, Ulanova, Alonso and Markova were perfect Giselles for previous generations. And you couldn't find five more different ballerinas.

Alexandra

[Estelle]

James, thanks for telling us about what you saw. I agree that the main roles of "Giselle"

are very demanding roles, and that it must be very hard to be convincing in both act I and act II.

I'm afraid I've seen very few "Giselle" on stage, and surely there are people much more experienced than me on this board who will post later, but one Giselle I appreciated quite a lot was Monique Loudieres (POB principal who officially retired in 1996). Unfortunately, I never saw her with the POB, but only with the Ballet de Nancy et de Lorraine in 1997. I saw her only at the end of her career, but she quickly became one of my favorite dancers, thanks to the purity of her style, her grace, and the way she had to portray true, lively characters. Both acts were really wonderful. Among my biggest regrets is not having seen her in "Giselle"

nor in "La Sylphide" with Manuel Legris, her usual partner (they were so well suited to each other), and that the POB didn't decide to film them in these ballets (they were filmed together only in Nureyev's "Romeo and Juliet").

I saw Carla Fracci's "Giselle" only on video (the ABT video with Erik Bruhn), but liked her very much.

[Estelle]

Originally posted by alexandra:

I didn't see them, but Fonteyn, Maximova, Ulanova, Alonso and Markova were perfect Giselles for previous generations.  And you couldn't find five more different ballerinas.

It reminds me of a special issue of the (alas now defunct) magazine "L'avant-scene ballet/danse" about "Giselle", published in the early 80s. It included a series of portraits of some famous Giselles (mostly French, since the magazine was quite French-centered: Darsonval, Chauvire, Pontois, Thesmar..., but not only) and it was interesting to notice how different from each other all those ballerinas looked, and yet all of them were great Giselles.

[wjglavis]

James, I've often watched `student extras' - as you call them - on stage and wondered what was going through their minds. Do you get to watch the whole ballet from the wings or just bits of it? Do the older dancers speak to you? Do you get to do Class with them? I would love to hear more of your experiences and impressions. (But bear in mind that someone from the RB might be reading your posts and be careful what you say! I'm sure you're doing that already!!)

I've seen some glorious Giselles: Altynai Asylmuratova, Sylvie Guillem and - on Sunday - Svetlana Lunkina. They were all wonderful in their VERY different ways and....do you know, I don't think I WANT to choose between them. (Unfortunately, I've never been in the UK at the right time to see Darcey Bussell in the part, but I hope to do so eventually.)

It must be thrilling, though, to work on the same stage as Guillem (I've seen her do two very different interpretations of Giselle, and this one is probably different again.) But what's all this? Guillem too old and too tall??? (Take those dancers' names, Corporal Jones.)

Speaking as a tall person myself, it sends me into a rage to be told that someone is too tall for a part. Believe me, tall girls are just as vulnerable as small ones. (When my cousin's daughter was 13 - the same age as Juliet - she was nearly 6 foot. AND she brought her doll to Christmas dinner. I rest my case.)

Anyway, thanks for your post, James, and keep up the good work.

- Wendy

[Giannina]

The best Giselle I ever saw was ABT's Cynthia Harvey (with Ted Bissell). Not only did she display superlative technique but she simply wafted as a Willie with moves and nuances I've seen from no other Giselle. Perfection!

Giannina

[Yvonne]

Just out of curiosity, who is Ted Bissell? (The only Bissell that comes to my mind is the late Patrick Bissell.)

To get back on the "Giselle" track...I'll cast my vote for Gelsey!

[dirac]

I'm sure this is a dumb question, but who was Ted Bissell? I remember Ted Kivitt, and Patrick Bissell, and Ted Bessell of That Girl....

I just noticed that Yvonne duplicated my inquiry, so never mind.

[This message has been edited by dirac (edited July 25, 2000).]

[Alexandra]

I'm sure Giannina meant to write Patrick. But Giannina, I'm surprised. I thought you were a Makarova Person, 100 percent

[dirac]

I should have figured that, but I always assume it's someone I ought to have heard of but haven't.

[Marc Haegeman]

Isn't the “perfect Giselle” the Giselle who appears closest to one’s own image of what this role should be? This might explain why there can indeed be many different perfect Giselles.

Anyway, I think, too, that Loudières was an outstanding Giselle. Her 2nd Act was breathtaking by the image of weightlessness (very well partnered for the occasion by Laurent Hilaire.) BTW, Loudières is also very fond of Mats Ek’s version and once said that dancing it helped to change her interpretation of the traditional ballet. Well, good for her.

Elisabeth Platel was another great Giselle.

Alexandra, I don’t think Maximova has ever been a perfect Giselle for any generation. It just wasn’t her cup of tea. She was pushed into the role by Ulanova, but never really got into it. She remained too much of the joyful girl.

Natalia Bessmertnova of the Bolshoi was considered far more the ideal Giselle, and (as I was told) Elena Evteyeva of the Kirov as well.

Of the younger Russians I found the Kirov’s Maya Dumchenko (with returned apologies to Leigh ) by far the most convincing, emotionally and choreographically, but again it all depends of what you want to see in Giselle.

[Guy Fletcher]

I haven't seen her dance the role, but from seeing her do other things, I have the feeling that Svetlana Zakharova is a perfect Giselle. I saw Malakhov dance Albrecht on video, and I think with his combined gifts of superb acting, beautiful lines and flawless technique he is a perfect Albrecht. Allesandra Ferri is also stunning in the role, and totally convincing in both acts.

I admit, I don't think Paloma Herrera would be suited for the role, though I adore her in certain things.

[Marc Haegeman]

Exactly Guy, that’s just my point, if you think of your Giselle as one who continually has to lift her leg behind her ear, than Sveta Zakharova may well be your perfect Giselle... Personally, I prefer dancers with some more stylistical sensitivity and feeling for the piece.

[cargill]

One of the most moving Giselles I ever saw was Merle Park, who certianly wouldn't come to mind as a natural Giselle. But she was so light in the 2nd act, and so maliable, she really seemed like she wasn't there.

As I have said before, I think Amanda McKerrow's interpretation is extraordinaryily believable. She is so convincing as a young girl in the first act. I remember once sitting behind someone partially blocking my view and during the harvest scene, I could tell instantly from her face when Albrecht returned to the stage, even though I couldn't see him. It was like a lightbulb lit up in her.

[Guest Figure8s]

Perfect Giselle? My favorites are: Kirkland(w/Baryshnikov-we waited in line for 7 hours to buy standing room-it was worth it.) Cynthia Harvey (and she was a wonderful Myrtha as well!) Magali Messac, Joanna Berman. I did see Alonso do it in the late 70's. It was too late in her career to make any kind of judgement, but her partner Esquivel was amazing.

[Ilya]

First, an off-topic remark about proper use of Russian names. "Sveta" (as well as "Ninochka", etc.) is usually reserved for conversations with personal friends and younger subordinates, and looks very out of place on a discussion board (even if the poster does happen to be her friend). The posters to this board might just as well start calling Marc and Alexandra "Marik" and "Sasha", respectively.

Now, back to Giselle. My "pet peeve" in various interpretations of this role are over-the-board emotional displays in the first act: exuberance followed by hysteria, with overemphasized physical attributes or gestures ("my hair is undone, which means that I'm going mad").

Two most disastrous things I have seen otherwise fine Giselles do are:

1. Have her poor mother remove pins from her hair.

2. Afterwards, clutch her head in a very strange way, with obvious purpose of not letting her hair get in front of her face.

Both are very distracting, and make you concentrate on little technical details rather than on Giselle.

The approach I prefer de-emphasizes the physical in favor of the psychological, and was taken by the great Mariinsky ballerinas of the past, such as Galina Mezentseva and Gabriela Komleva (although the two were very different from each other). For example, after Albercht kisses Bathilde's hand, Giselle-Mezentseva or Giselle-Komleva mimed: "How can this be?" Most everyone else I've seen mimes: "What the $@*&@# is going on? He's mine!" The basic mime gestures are the same; the difference is in the principle "less is more", and in other fine details which set great actresses apart from the rest of the field.

The same can be said about the rest of the "mad scene": all gestures and steps are very restrained; all suffering is in Giselle's mind, with minimal physical manifestations--primarily through expressive (but not hysterical, and not blank) arms and face. The result is a striking picture of vulnerability and deep sorrow--just look at the Mezentseva video.

Even Maximova, Makarova, Fracci, Ananiashvili, Lunkina, Ferri, Durante, Vishneva, and Nioradze are not quite up to my highest standard (although the first three I have only seen on videos). I have, however, thoroughly enjoyed every single one of these great ballerinas in this role. With apologies to Marc, and in a rare agreement with Leigh , I have to admit that Vishneva's performance last year--especially her Act II--was among the most memorable ones. Great acting and dancing (no legs behind her ear! ), including her incredible "in-character" curtain calls. The applause continued for a long, long time, and she was Giselle all through it.

[Alexandra]

Ilya, I definitely agree with you [shock!] on the over-the-top emotionalism of Giselles. My first Giselle (not one of the great ones) bounded about happily throughout act one, and then Became Mad. There's a performance history aspect of this, I think. The original Giselle, Grisi, killed herself (one opinion is that she did not have the dramatic skills to do a more internal death scene] When Fanny Elssler took over the role, she was a great actress, and basically said, "I don't need a sword." (It was also pointed out that she was a very different, more earthy, kind of dancer than Grisi, and, if she "won" Act I, definitely did not "win" Act II.) But most Giselles after that wanted to be great actresses too, and so we have the heart attack/going mad version. (In the suicide version, she's not really mad, just shocked, and the part where she feels her arms is because the blood is streaming down them. In the mad version, the same gesture is used, but instead of feeling the blood running down her arms, she feels the coldness of death and her body being claimed by the Wilis.)

Marc, I know many people who would list Maximova as one of the great Giselles, and I've read her on many lists, too. She was admired, at least in New York and London, precisely because she was such a happy girl, and therefore, the tragedy seemed the more horrible. A performance history note here, too. Until quite recently, Giselle was a demicaractere role in the French and Danish traditions. (In Denmark, their Swanhilda, Margot Lander, did Giselle, but never touched La Sylphide, considered a "classique" role.) The same may have been true in Russia, as Karsavina and Nijinsky were Diaghilev's cast. Perhaps because of Spesitseva (her Western name, Ilya ), with her long, long line, this began to change.

[dirac]

I wonder if opera might not have been an influence also? In the nineteenth century mad scenes were almost de rigueur, especially in bel canto (perhaps on the rationale that you'd have to be crazy to try all that coloratura stuntwork).

[Ilya]

Alexandra, thanks for this fascinating historical perspective. I actually was wondering about the suicide, since I saw it once on video (Seymour in Nureyev's video, I think). Since then, whenever I watch Giselle pick up the sword, I find myself wondering what will happen next.

[Alexandra]

Ilya, some of the really determined ones do both the suicide AND the heart attack.

[Colleen Boresta]

I have seen "Giselle" about 21 times life, and I have been lucky enough to see some really wonderful Giselles (and Albrechts too, but that's another thread). Most of the Giselles I've seen were ABT ballerinas, and the really perfect ones (to me) were Marianna Tcherkassky, Alessandra Ferri, and Ashley Tuttle. In 1981 I saw a French ballerina, Dominque Khalfouni dance "Giselle" as a guest artist with ABT. (Her Albrecht was Barysnikov.) Khalfouni was a truly wonderful Giselle. Svetlana Lunkina of the Bolshoi has just been added to my list of perfect Giselles. I always loved Cynthia Harvey as a dancer, but the only time I ever saw her dance "Giselle" her Albrecht was Ross Stretton. They didn't seem to have a great rapport (to say nothing of chemistry), so I can't think of Harvey as a great Giselle.

[liebs]

Carla Fracci and Eric Bruhn were memorable. She has the true Romantic style and was memorably ethereal. Ferri has some of same qualities.

Although she was not considered a great Giselle, I have wonderful memories of Cynthia Gregory's debut in Milwaukee when I was a teenager. She was so fresh and innocent, a lovely debut.

I also loved Marianna Tcherkassky's performance.

There is a wonderful video called "Portrait of Giselle." Narrated by Anton Dolin, a famous Albrecht in his time, and it shows Olga Spessitva (sp?)in the mad scene. The most extraordinary one, I've ever seen. The tape ends with Dolin coaching Patricia McBride and Helgi Tomasson. Well worth seeing if you can find it.

[Leigh Witchel]

I can't say how amused I am by the image of some well-ensconced Prima Ballerina of the National Ballet of Chelm (a mythical and very foolish city from Jewish folklore) looking at her bedraggled and long suffering director with fire in her eye and saying, "Suicide is not enough! First, I kill myself with sword. Then I have heart attack! Will be wooooonderful! Afterwards we will have many curtain calls. Make sure there are flowers, please." However, the concept of Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessell as That Giselle and Albrecht is almost as disorientedly appealing.

However, someone in the production has to decide how Giselle dies, because that determines where she is buried. If it's not suicide, why isn't she buried in the churchyard?

I found Ferri to be an intensely disappointing Giselle, not even honest enough to make the smallest attempt to support her acting with basic dance technique. Her Giselle was like watching a house built on quicksand.

Wendy, having been a student extra in Giselle during the mesozoic era, most of what I recall trying to do was watch what was happening carefully and react accordingly. Occasionally the principals would talk to you, completely knocking you out of character. (Example, Judy Fugate coming up to a friend of mine during Coppelia and saying cheerily, "I think I'll dance now!" in character as Swanilda right before her variation. It might have helped Judy to stay in character but my friend just about lost it at the absurdity of the announcement.)

I alsways regret not having seen Makarova's Giselle, and what I saw in Vishneva's reminded me of what people wrote about Makarova's Giselle before her knee injuries - her jump and its abandon in act II. Vishneva's act II was particularly moving and spiritual. I'm beginning to understand that "spirituality" (whatever that is!) is what I look for in a Giselle.

On Ilya's point, I really appreciated the fact that Lunkina's hair was undone before she fell at her mother's feet. Like him, I am tired of seeing the poor women have to conceal the fact she's picking pins out of Giselle's hair.

------------------

Leigh Witchel - dae@panix.com

Personal Page and Dance Writing

Dance as Ever

[Alexandra]

Leigh, a small esoteric point about Giselle's grave. I asked that question in Denmark and was told, in absolute seriousness by a producer who thought the falling on the sword was too much and so went for the swordless mad scene, "Because it is a Protestant village and dancing is a sin, and she died dancing." This is NOT in the original libretto, just an example of how someone with imagination, and a sense of dramatic logic, to make something make sense.

liebs, I've seen that Giselle video with Dolin too, and was (pleasantly) astounded by Spesitseva's dancing. It was so loose and free, not at all the centered, careful dancing we think of as "classical" today.

[James Wilkie]

Well I am glad that everyone has taken so quickly to my thread.

Alexandra I have to agree with you that Ropse Gad is a beautiful Giselle particularly in Act 2. Could it be her Bournonville training that gives her such lightness? Also Johhan Kobborg is a fantastic Albrecht also Bournonville trained.

Wendy it is so wonderful being used as a student extra. I have found that all of the company are nice but you have to remember that this is thier turf if you know what I mean! It has been a wonderful oppourtunity for me and Giselle takes its first noight tonight and this will be the highlight of my Summer Season with the Royal Ballet. I have to agree with you that Svetlana Lunkina is a beautiful Giselle.

Marc I think you have hit the nail on the head about Giselle being close to the heart which is why people like thier own Giselle.

I have never had the oppourtunity to see Altynai Asylmuratova perform Giselle but I think that she for me would be one of the best.We have all been talking about Giselle what about an Albrecht as well? I think that in the Summer Season at the Opera House one of the best casts is Yoshida and Kobborg. Also if any of you get the chance to see Marianella Nunez perform peasant pas de deux then she is a treat instore for all of you.

My last note have any of you seen Tamara Rojo in the role of Giselle because rumour has it thet she is replacing Darcey Bussell on Saturday and would like to know peoples opinions. I think she would be quite suited although I am not the biggest fan of Miss Rojo!