'Giselle,' heartbreaking story told in dance, coming to Lycian stage

Sugar Loaf — The classic ballet “Giselle” will be performed by the Russian National Ballet Theatre at the Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts in Sugar Loaf on Thursday, March 10 at 8 p.m. Giselle was created and first performed at the Paris Opera in 1814 and continues to be a favorite to this day. Giselle is a romantic story of love, betrayal, jealousy and heartbreak. Taking place in Rhineland, the naïve and delicate Giselle is desired by two men, the nobleman Albrecht, disguised as a villager, and a woodsman, Hilarion. After Hilarion discovers Albrecht’s true identity and Albrecht’s betrothed arrives on the scene, the first act comes to a tragic end. Act two takes place at night entirely in a cemetery, not far from the village, where those still living and the spirits of the night come together in dance to create a visually enchanting and ethereal end to the story. The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded in Moscow during the transitional period of Perestroika in the late 1980s, when many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union’s ballet institutions were exercising their new-found creative freedom by starting new, vibrant companies dedicated not only to the timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet but to invigorate this tradition as the Russians began to accept new developments in dance from around the world. Tickets are $46.75 and 42.50 for Adults and $35.06 or 31.87 for youth, age 18 years and younger. Reservations for this breathtaking ballet may be made by calling the Lycian Centre Box Office at 469-2287, Tuesday through Saturday between 11 am and 4 pm or on the web at www.LycianCentre.com.