Giselle coming to city, with Falkirk girl in lead
Argyllshire-based ballet company Ballet West is bringing the famous Giselle ou les Wilis to the Macrobert Arts Centre early in the New Year.
The dancers will be taking the ballet to eight venues across Scotland, opening in Stirling on January 26-27.
The new production by the company’s choreographer and artistic advisor Daniel F Job, features two outstanding young dancers - Natasha Watson and Uyu Hiromoto - sharing the lead role of Giselle.
Falkirk girl Natasha, a graduate of Taynuilt-based Ballet West, is now a lecturer and principal dancer with the company and has danced with Scottish Ballet and English National Ballet.
Uyu from Japan, is a third-year student. Both Natasha and Uyu have achieved the Royal Academy of Dance’s Solo Seal and will be partnered by Ballet West’s senior principal dancer Jonathan Barton, dancing the role of Count Albrecht.
Nearly 100 of Ballet West’s students, together with guest artists, and students from Ballet West’s Glasgow and Edinburgh associates, will be taking part in the tour.
Giselle is described as a balletpantomime in two acts and was first performed in Paris in 1841. Daniel F Job’s choreography for Ballet West’s talented young company is based on the revivals of Marius Petipa.
The story tells of peasant girl Giselle, who dies of a broken heart after discovering her lover is betrothed to another. The Wilis, a group of supernatural women who dance men to death, summon Giselle from her grave. They target him but Giselle’s love frees him from their grasp. JOHN ROWBOTHAM
Principal Gillian Barton said: “For students on HND and degree courses, our popular annual tours provide invaluable experience in performing for audiences in many different venues across Scotland. It is an essential element of their training as dance artists of the future.
“Our classical ballet tours provide a wonderful opportunity for students to dance alongside experienced professional dancers. The high artistic standards achieved in our productions never fail to attract appreciative audiences of all ages.”
Since it was established in 1991, Ballet West has steadily developed an ambitious educational programme and now offers full-time Higher Education courses leading to Foundation Degree and BA (Hons) in Dance, validated by the Open University, as well as a HND course.
The school also runs outreach classes for students from age two and up, summer schools and associate courses in Edinburgh and Glasgow.