It has been just over three years since Orlando Ballet first performed in Steinmetz Hall at Dr. Phillips Center, presenting the classical (and ghost-filled) Giselle. Now the company is mounting the romantic masterwork yet again to close out its 2024–25 season.
In doing so, the ballet will challenge itself to top the previous production, which the Orlando Sentinel’s Matthew J. Palm called “beautiful to behold” and “a wonderful combination of all the elements of ballet.”
Artistic Director Jorden Morris says returning audiences will immediately notice an upgrade to the physical and visual elements of the presentation.
“The costumes are going to be much more vibrant,” says Morris. And that’s not all: The sets have been refurbished, the lighting has been redesigned, and the special effects have been enhanced for particularly dramatic moments with updated fog and simulated lightning flashes.
Such state-of-the-art bells and whistles are important when you’re telling the supernaturally tinged story of a humble peasant girl who succumbs to the attentions of a duplicitous nobleman, dies of heartbreak, and then has her soul hijacked by a cadre of female spirits who are bent on revenge against the two-timers of the world.
But beyond the surface trappings, it’s the ability to convey the emotions of love, loss, and forgiveness that has cemented the stature of Giselle.
First staged in 1841 in Paris as a star-making vehicle for Italian ballerina Carlotta Grisi, Giselle has been almost uniformly hailed by critics and audiences on an international scale ever since.
Over time, several changes have been made to the original template that was laid down by choreographers Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, composer Adolphe Adam, and librettists Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier.
For example, the version to be presented at Steinmetz Hall is based on a highly influential 1965 re-envisioning by Sir Peter Wright, as adapted for Orlando Ballet by Morris and his wife, Associate Artistic Director Lisa Thorn Morris.
Following Wright’s lead, the couple has de-emphasized some of the pantomime elements of the original, putting the onus on expressive, expert dancing to carry the thrust of the story. “Orlando really loves to see dance,” Jorden Morris says. “The audience here likes to see powerful dancers on stage, dancing.”
The powerful ensemble he has assembled for this outing will be led by Hitori Nakamura as Giselle and John Abenanty as Albrecht the nobleman, each reprising their role from the 2022 production.
Once again, the music will be performed live by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, albeit this time under the direction of conductor Julian Pellicano (conductor of the National Ballet of Canada and music director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet).
Evening performances will be presented on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. VIP packages include premium seating, pre-show snacks and beverages, and a souvenir poster signed by the cast.
Dr. Phillips Center is located at 445 South Magnolia Avenue, Orlando. For more information, call or visit the website.
