A classic ballet that never really leaves the stage, Giselle returns to Shanghai with the Shanghai Ballet. Expect romantic tragedy, ghostly nocturnal scenes, and one of the most emotionally charged stories in the classical ballet canon, performed at the Shanghai International Dance Center’s Grand Theater.

About the Production

Giselle is a romantic ballet set in a rural village and a moonlit graveyard, telling the story of a young peasant girl whose love leads to betrayal, madness, and death. The ballet explores themes of innocence, deception, forgiveness, and love that transcends life itself.

Giselle, a kind and innocent village girl, falls in love with Albrecht, a nobleman who disguises himself as a peasant. When she discovers his true identity and learns that he is already engaged to another woman, she collapses under the emotional shock and dies. Overcome with guilt, Albrecht later visits her grave, where he encounters the Wilis—spirits of women betrayed before their wedding days who force men to dance until death. Moved by love, Giselle’s spirit protects Albrecht, saving him from their revenge as dawn breaks and the spirits vanish.

This production is presented by the Shanghai Ballet and the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater, featuring choreography by Marius Petipa with adaptation by Xin Lili, and music by Adolphe Adam. With elaborate stage design, costumes, and lighting, the performance runs approximately 105 minutes.

Synopsis

Act I
In a peaceful village, Giselle, a young girl who loves dancing, meets Albrecht, who has disguised himself as a farmer. The two fall in love, though the local hunter Hilarion grows suspicious of Albrecht’s identity. During a harvest celebration, a noble hunting party passes through the village. Hilarion exposes Albrecht by revealing his hidden sword, proving that he is a count already engaged to Princess Bathilde. Shocked and devastated, Giselle loses her sanity and dies of a heart attack.

Act II
At Giselle’s grave, the Wilis appear at midnight—ghostly figures of women betrayed before marriage. They force men to dance until exhaustion and death. Hilarion falls victim to them and is thrown into a nearby lake. Albrecht arrives to mourn Giselle and is also trapped by the Wilis. Giselle’s spirit begs their queen to spare him and dances with him through the night to keep him alive. At dawn, the Wilis lose their power and disappear, leaving Albrecht alone in grief.