English National Ballet’s stunning new reinterpretation of the classic romantic ballet Giselle, choreographed by dance superstar Akram Khan, is coming to the central city in March 2018 as part of the Auckland Arts Festival.
One of the most famous ballet companies in the world, English National Ballet has undergone a spectacular artistic resurgence under powerhouse Artistic Director Tamara Rojo. She has rejuvenated the ballet cannon with her bold new commissions of the classics, most significantly, Giselle.
At the beating heart of this brilliant ballet is the edgy, big-thinking choreographer, dancer and director, Akram Khan, whose work is venerated across the world.
The tour de force of ballet won the South Bank Sky Art Award for Best Dance Production and Manchester Theatre Award for Best Dance Production. It is the first time the epic production has left the United Kingdom.
This classic story of love, betrayal and redemption tells of an outcast migrant factory worker who dies from grief after discovering her lover is betrothed to another woman. She joins a group of ghosts who seek revenge for the wrongs done to them to take revenge on him, but their love overpowers her and he is released, forgiven.
Fresh from their success at the 2017 Olivier Awards, English National Ballet brings to Auckland from London a huge team of nearly 100 performers and crew.
Travelling with them is a monumental set, with a revolving motorized wall as its centerpiece, which was designed by Tim Yip, whose work for the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon earned him an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
In Akram Khan’s Giselle, the “ominous, gothic” score (The Observer), which uses hybrid electronics and a full orchestra, has been composed by Vincenzo Lamagna and draws on Adolphe Adam’s original. At AAF 2018, this will be performed live by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra under English National Ballet Music Director Gavin Sutherland.
When Giselle premiered at the Paris Opera in 1841, it was hailed as ‘the greatest ballet of its time’. English National Ballet’s 21st Century version of the timeless tale, created by some of the world’s bravest ballet-makers, will be one of the greatest shows in Auckland next year.
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$2 per hour to a max of $12 on weekends and a $12 flat rate for weekday evenings at The Civic car park. Find out more.