Review | The National Ballet of China return to Hong Kong with a dazzling Giselle
Led by prima ballerina Qiu Yunting, whose dancing was exquisite, this purists’ version of Giselle was only marred by the recorded music
The National Ballet of China (NBC) made a welcome return to Hong Kong this month with performances of Giselle and Chinese New Year, the company’s adaptation of The Nutcracker.
In Giselle, an excellent cast was headed by prima ballerina Qiu Yunting in a luminous interpretation of the title role. When the company last performed the ballet here in 2017, Qiu made a striking impression as a young soloist dancing the evil Myrthe, Queen of the Wilis. Now, nine years later, she has matured into a world-class artist and it was a privilege to watch her.
Giselle is the ballet lovers’ ballet. Created in Paris in 1841 by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, and revived in 1884 by the great Marius Petipa, this masterpiece of the Romantic school has survived the test of time due to the emotional power of its story, Adolphe Adam’s score with its infinitely danceable music and clear motifs for different characters, and its unforgettable choreography.
The NBC’s production is a treasure for purists, adopting the iconic staging by the late Anton Dolin – the legendary choreographer and dancer whose knowledge and love of Giselle were second to none.
This is a blissfully authentic version, including many additional narrative details and a wealth of mime – nowadays these are often cut to simplify the story for non-specialist audiences, which reduces the ballet’s richness and history.
The only moment that jars is that during the “mad scene”, the Duke and nobles turn their back on Giselle and do not watch what is happening. This may be another authentic detail from Dolin’s production – he worked with people who had worked with Petipa – but dramatically it does not work.