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PNB: Giselle
February 3 @ 8:00 am - February 12 @ 5:00 pm
Pacific Northwest Ballet continues its 50th Anniversary Season with the return of ballet’s preeminent ghost story: Giselle
Eight Performances Only!
February 3 at 7:30 pm
February 4 at 2:00 and 7:30 pm
February 9 & 10 at 7:30 pm
February 11 at 2:00 and 7:30 pm
February 12 at 1:00 pm
Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
321 Mercer Street at Seattle Center
Seattle, WA 98109
Streaming Digitally February 16 – 20
“Pacific Northwest Ballet’s renovated Giselle…sparkled with details that re-contextualized this story in surprising and satisfying ways.” — DANCE Magazine
“Marvelous. The most striking thing about Pacific Northwest Ballet’s new Giselle is how it teems with life. The world of Giselle and her tragic story comes newly and vividly alive.” — Dancing Times (UK)
SEATTLE, WA – Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal’s radiant, historically informed production of Giselle drew international accolades when it premiered in 2011. (“A Giselle of exceptional interest. The production is rich in detail, both intelligent and eloquent. Pacific Northwest Ballet has made Giselle live anew.” –New York Theatre Wire) PNB’s production marked the first time an American ballet company had based a production on Stepanov notation as well as the first use in modern times of the rare French sources for Giselle. PNB brought Giselle back in 2014, newly adorned in luxurious 19th century costumes and scenery, conceived and designed by Jérôme Kaplan (Don Quixote, Roméo et Juliette). It was scheduled to be presented again in the spring of 2020, but, well, you know what happened. PNB is thrilled to finally bring Giselle back to the stage for eight performances, February 3 – 12 at Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets start at just $37. The program will also stream digitally from February 16 through 20. Tickets for the digital access are $35. For tickets and additional information, contact the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, in person at 301 Mercer Street, or online 24/7 at PNB.org.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Libretto: Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier
Music: Adolphe Adam (1841), with additional music by Friedrich Burgmüller, Riccardo Drigo, and Ludwig Minkus
Choreography: Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, and Marius Petipa, with additional choreography by Peter Boal
Staging: Peter Boal
Historical Advisers: Doug Fullington and Marian Smith
Scenic and Costume Design: Jérôme Kaplan
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Original Production Premiere: June 28, 1841; Ballet du Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique (Paris), choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot
Petipa Production Premiere: February 5, 1884; Imperial Ballet (St. Petersburg), choreography by Marius Petipa (after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot)
PNB Premiere (Peter Boal Production): June 3, 2011; new production May 30, 2014
Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes (including one intermission)
Widely acknowledged as the greatest ballet of the Romantic era, Giselle tells the story of a peasant girl who dies of a broken heart after her fiancé is revealed to be a nobleman in disguise. In death, she joins the ranks of the Wilis, supernatural maidens who died before their wedding days and are doomed to take their revenge on men for eternity. In a miraculous display of love beyond the grave, Giselle saves her betrothed from certain death at the hands of her ghostly sisters.
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of Giselle has been staged by PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal, utilizing primary sources from Paris and St. Petersburg, with the assistance of dance historians Marian Smith and Doug Fullington, and drawing on the rich tradition of Giselle performances throughout the twentieth century and to the present day.
The sources utilized for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Giselle include a rehearsal score (répétiteur) that may have been prepared in Paris, circa 1842, to assist in the staging of Giselle in St. Petersburg that year. The répétiteur includes detailed information relating to the action of the ballet and how it relates to the score by French composer Adolphe Adam. Another primary French source is a complete notation of Giselle likely made in the 1850s by Henri Justamant. This elaborate notation surfaced in the early 2000s in a private collection in Germany and has since been published. The other important source is a choreographic notation made in St. Petersburg, circa 1899–1903. This notation was made using the Stepanov notation system developed in St. Petersburg in the early 1890s. The production represents French choreographer Marius Petipa’s version of Giselle that was based on the original Paris production, choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. The Stepanov notation of Giselle was used in the West for historic stagings by Paris Opéra Ballet and the Vic-Wells Ballet (now the Royal Ballet).
For additional information about PNB’s unique production of Giselle, including extensive program notes and a full synopsis by Marian Smith and Doug Fullington, visit PNB.org/Giselle.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets to PNB’s live and/or digital performances may be purchased through the PNB Box Office:
- Phone – 206.441.2424
- In Person – 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center
- Online 24/7 – PNB.org
(Tickets may also be purchased – subject to availability – 90 minutes prior to each performance at McCaw Hall. In-person ticket sales at the McCaw Hall Box Office are subject to day-of-show increases. Advance tickets through the PNB Box Office are strongly recommended for best prices and greatest availability.)
Tickets for the live performances of Giselle are $37 – $195. Groups of ten or more may enjoy discounts up to 20% off regular prices: Contact Group Sales Manager Julie Jamieson at 206.441.2416 or JulieJ@PNB.org for ticketing assistance. (Group discounts are not valid on lowest-priced tickets and may not be combined with other offers.)
Tickets for PNB’s digital-only presentation of Giselle (February 16 – 20) are $35.
For information about special ticket offers including The Pointe, Pay-What-You-Can, Beer and Ballet night, student/senior rush tickets and more, visit PNB.org/offers.
Health & Safety: PNB will continue to follow the advice of local health authorities in partnership with our labor groups to create our masking and vaccine policies. At this time, masks are strongly encouraged but not required as part of the PNB audience experience. For details and information regarding PNB’s current health and safety policies, visit PNB.org/Health.
The Show Must Go On: Pacific Northwest Ballet is committed to honoring its performance calendar. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these performances from their appointed curtain time. In the unlikely event that the status of a performance does change, ticket-buyers will be notified and an announcement will be posted on PNB.org.