World Ballet Classics: Giselle featuring Olga Smirnova & Jacopo Tissi

Olga Smirnova & Artemy Belyakov and in Giselle (2019) | Photo: Natalia Voronova

This presentation is a part of our World Ballet Classics Series knows as “Ballet & Identity Talks with Elena Alexandra“.

In this presentation we tell you the story of the ballet Giselle, its history, music, & choreography. We will show you masterpieces from this ballet and will share behind the scenes story of two principal dancers: Olga Smirnova & Jacopo Tissi.

Giselle is an iconic ballet for its emotional depth, supernatural elements, innovative choreography, and storytelling. The ballet’s themes of love, betrayal, and forgiveness resonate deeply with all audiences, making it a timeless work of art. Check our event page for schedule.

Olga Smirnova

Olga Smirnova has been a principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet since 2016. Among many professional accolades, she has been voted Dancer of the Year 2022 by readers of leading international magazine Dance Europe. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Olga decided to leave her homeland and joined Dutch National Ballet.

Giselle video short with Dutch National Ballet principal dancer Olga Smirnova (1 min)

Jacopo Ticci

Jacopo Tissi was the first Italian dancer to join Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow where he was dancing leading roles in nearly all the big classics. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Jacopo left and in March 2022 he partnered with Olga Smirnova, with whom he had regularly danced in Moscow and who had joined Dutch National Ballet.

Jacopo Tissi: principal dancer of Dutch National Ballet since Oct 2023 (1.34 min)

The Story – Act I

Despite having a weak heart, Giselle loves to dance and her beauty enchants Count Albrecht. On the day of the village festival, Albrecht disguises himself as a peasant. Unaware of his noble birth, Giselle first resists Albrecht’s advances but ultimately succumbs to his romantic persistence. She trusts his pledge of eternal love, and she too falls in love.

“Despite having a weak heart, Giselle loves to dance and her beauty enchants Count Albrecht. – Olga Smirnova (Giselle) – Bolshoi Theatre 2020 (1.44 min)

The arrival of a hunting party in the villages includes the Duke of Courland and his daughter Bathilde, to whom Albrecht is already engaged. Hilarion, a gamekeeper in love with Giselle, discovers Albrecht’s true identity and reveals his lie to Giselle. Learning of this deceit, Giselle loses her mind, and the first act ends with her untimely death.

The Story – Act 2

Act II is set deep in the forest where Giselle was buried and has become a wili. The wilis are ghostly apparitions – girls who have died betrayed by their faithless lovers on the eve of their weddings. Mourning at Giselle’s grave, Hilarion tragically encounters Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, and her maidens, who haunt the forest, luring those who pass by to dance with them until they die, which he does. Full of remorse, Albrecht also comes to Giselle’s grave. Myrtha commands Giselle to come from her grave and entice Albrecht to join her in dance.

“Giselle dances with Albrecht through the night” – Olga Smirnova (Giselle) & Jacopo Tissi (Albrecht) in Act 2 (1.39 min)

Giselle dances with Albrecht through the night. And although she was betrayed by Albrecht, she helps him to stay alive until the dawn when the wilis lose their power and cannot destroy him. At dawn, Giselle disappears into her grave, and Albrecht’s life is spared by Giselle’s love.