By Lee Hyo-won
It could well have been a horror tale with a vendetta theme a la “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” — a lovely maiden, seduced by a philandering aristocrat in disguise, dies of despair and appears before him as an apparition. But love triumphs over the bitterness of betrayal, and Giselle chooses to save her Albrecht with a heartbreaking pas de deux.
The sold-out Seoul performances over the weekend demonstrated why the 19th-century French Romantic ballet endures — the tale resonates strongly with Korea’s own iconography of “han”-ridden, white-clad virgin spirits that seek bloody revenge, but in the end Confucian values of harmony and the virtue of forgiveness prevail.
Moreover, the cross cultural similarities aside, the enthralling beauty and grace of the piece simply captivates — and the Korea National Ballet Company (KNBC) succeeded in reviving the sweeping romanticism of the classic ballet.
From Thursday through Sunday at Seoul Arts Center, the KNBC staged “Giselle” for the first time in nine years with the local premiere of the Paris National Opera Ballet version (where it debuted in 1841) — complete with the original costume, set and lighting straight from Europe.
In the Friday performance, prima ballerina Kim Ji-young seemed to show that she was made to be Giselle — exhibiting the youthful ebullience of first loves and pulling off a dramatic mad scene with the oomph of an opera diva (as Balanchine once said, dance is “music made visible”), before dancing away like a wilting flower in the second act. It was her best performance to date, despite having made a visit to the hospital earlier in the day due to fatigue and stomach problems.
“I feel breathless,” Kim told The Korea Times backstage, after the curtain fell to a standing ovation, looking strikingly emaciated.
Furthermore, the pristine production was an example of how much Korean ballet has matured. The geopolitics of the local arts scene is a curious one: Korean ballet grew rapidly on the same wavelength as the Russian tradition, with the KNBC staging mostly Yuri Grigorovich creations since its inception.
But recently the troupe began venturing into modernism, such as Roland Petit last year, and through “Giselle” it expanded its horizons once and for all by pulling off a classic French repertoire — though it must be said that apart from the magnificent soloists, the corps de ballet still lacked unison.
“Going from the Russian tradition to the French reflects a healthy growth,” said Julia H. Moon, director of the Universal Ballet Company.
“It’s wonderful to see such co-productions,” said Seo Kang-soo, director of the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS), who was spotted at the Friday event, along with other dignified guests including Mo Chul-min, vice minister of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Sohn Sook, actress and former environment minister; and veteran actor Shin Sung-il, whose daughter is known to have been a ballerina.
In a recent briefing by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Laurel Coudret Laut, director of the French Cultural Center in Seoul, emphasized the importance of creative co-productions — perhaps one day a Korean Giselle might be weeping in a white ”hanbok" (traditional costume) inspired tutu in a Paris production.
The Korea National Ballet Company (KNBC) will hold a gala show Tuesday at Seoul Arts Center.
Mathias Heymann and Laetitia Pujol, principal dancers of the Paris National Opera Ballet who played the lead parts of Sunday’s “Giselle,” will perform highlights from the ballet’s second scene.
Tickets cost from 5,000 to 100,000 won. Call (02) 587-6181.