Giselle celebrates 175 years

Joburg Theatre was filled with excitement as ballet lovers awaited the opening of Giselle, 175 years since the production was first staged.

Giselle opened at the Joburg Theatre on 8 April, with the talented Joburg Ballet company bringing the famous ballet – often acknowledged as one of the most beautiful classical ballets ever created – to life.

Packed almost to capacity, the theatre welcomed a number of esteemed guests to the opening night – some of whom included chairman of the Joburg Ballet, James Campbell, various arts schools from across the province and even taking time away from South African Fashion Week, Gert Johan Coetzee.

Coetzee did not form part of the costume designer team for Giselle, but has previously designed a number of costumes for dancers in the company.

The production tells the moving story of a young girl who dies of a broken heart, and the title role – which was set to be played by South Africa’s prima ballerina, Burnise Silvius – is regarded as one of the ultimate measures of a ballerina’s greatness.

Unfortunately, Silvius suffered an injury in the days leading up to the start of the ballet season and has been replaced by Shannon Glover, Dayna Acuna and Kirstel Jensen during the run of Giselle, from 8 to 17 April.

Joburg Ballet was not the only company to commemorate the 175-year anniversary of the production, but rather one of several ballet companies from across the globe to stage the show in celebration of the timeless piece.

The performance by Joburg Ballet was later described as ‘an utter success’, it was felt by theatre-goers that the company did the ballet justice as it was greeted with a standing ovation at the final curtain.

With Romeo and Juliet to be staged from 15 to 24 July and Cinderella from 30 September to 9 October, there is much more on offer from Joburg Ballet.

Details: joburgballet.com