Theatre
Dance review: National Ballet of Japan’s Giselle **** ‘The dancers in the corps are simply outstanding’
A production which puts the focus on the dancing
July 28, 2025 11:18
A production which puts the focus on the dancing
July 28, 2025 11:18National Ballet of Japan’s Giselle ****
Miyako Yoshida was a ballerina of exquisite delicacy and dramatic flair. She danced with both the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet) and the Royal Ballet companies for nearly three decades, before assuming the artistic directorship of the National Ballet of Japan in Tokyo in 2020.
Now Yoshida has returned to London, bringing her company on its first visit to the Royal Opera House to perform her new production of Giselle.
Like Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle is one of those key ballets that any dance company of repute wants to do well. The contrast between the two acts: the happy peasant dances of the first and the eerie other worldliness of the second, has made this romantic ballet an audience favourite. Over 140 years old, it still makes regular appearances in the repertoire of many companies throughout the world. There have been numerous productions of the tragic tale (I am particularly fond of Akram Khan’s reworking), but Yoshida sticks to a familiar formula with a traditional retelling in which the focus is on the dancing.
The set, by Dick Bird, is rather fussy for Act I, but lighting designer Rick Fisher has infused it with autumnal golden hues suggesting harvest time. Act II is suitably creepy, with gravestones set in the distance and an abundance of dry ice used at various moments.
The dancing throughout is neat and precise, though some feet were a little sloppy and not as pointed as I would have liked. Extensions are not as high as Western audiences are used to, but it really is of no great consequence in a ballet such as Giselle, where it actually works to the dancers’ advantage in maintaining the true romantic, as opposed to classical style. (I would like to see the dancers tackle Swan Lake or The Sleeping Beauty to see how they fare in those later, great works.)
The acting is rather muted – the famous “mad scene” at the end of Act I could have been stronger but Act II gained in power as it progressed. The dancers in the corps are simply outstanding as the vengeful Wilis. They move as one and are beautiful to watch as they command the stage. Led by the icy Akari Yoshida as Myrtha, they are the highlight of the evening.
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