Featured Performances

The Captivating Costumes of Giselle

Close up of Willis costume with green vines.

The Wilis costumes are covered in vines, evocative of the forest they inhabit.

Photo credit: Brooke Trisolini

Go behind the scenes of the Costume Shop and Wardrobe department to learn more about the hauntingly beautiful costumes of Giselle.

The Wilis costumes feature long, Romantic-style tutus.

Photo credit: Brooke Trisolini

The peasant costumes reflect the medieval period in which the ballet is set.

Photo Credit: Brooke Trisolini

The Wilis costumes feature long, Romantic-style tutus.

Photo credit: Brooke Trisolini

The peasant costumes reflect the medieval period in which the ballet is set.

Photo Credit: Brooke Trisolini

One of the most beloved and enduring classical ballets, Giselle tells the gripping tale of a peasant girl who goes mad with grief and dies of heartbreak after her aristocratic lover deceives her. Before the drama can unfold on stage, read how the Costume Shop & Wardrobe department works behind the scenes to bring the story to life.

A snapshot in time
Giselle is set in the Rhineland valley in medieval Germany. Giselle, a young peasant girl with a weak heart and passion for dancing, falls in love with Duke Albrecht, a nobleman in disguise who is engaged to another. Their love story is short-lived when Giselle realizes Albrecht’s deceit and dies of a broken heart. Boston Ballet’s Costume Shop and Wardrobe team works to transport the audience back in time with historical costumes that reflect the fashions of the era.

Originally created for Pittsburgh Ballet in 2016 by British designer Peter Farmer, these Giselle costumes are beautifully simplistic and traditional. The audience can look for period details in the ensemble costumes. The peasant women wear blouses with corseted bodices and the men don long tunics with decorated belts and tights. Bathilde, the noblewoman who is engaged to Albrecht, wears a more opulent costume that reflects her elevated social status. Her dress has an empire waistline made of heavy, rich-looking silk and brocade fabric with a long train. The royal finishing touch? “Bathilde is the only one in the ballet to wear any jewelry,” Wardrobe Supervisor Heather McLernon says.

Things are not always as they appear…
The second act of Giselle plays out in the otherworldly forest realm of the Wilis, spirits of betrothed young women who have died from grief after being betrayed by their unfaithful lovers. They enter the stage covered in long veils, looking like ghostly brides. However, McLernon reveals that the only dancer in the second act with an all-white costume is Giselle. “Because she is new to the forest, her tutu is fresh and white,” McLernon says, whereas the other Wilis’ costumes feature ombré gray tulle skirts and ivy-wrapped bodices.

The fabric is just lovely. It’s heavy, soft tulle that moves so beautifully, it just seems to float.

Heather McLernon, Wardrobe Supervisor

Erica Cornejo and Nelson Madrigal in Giselle.

Photo credit: Rosalie O'Connor

Otherworldly alterations
The costumes were constructed with breathability and movability in mind. Most of them are either made of stretch material or have stretch panels inserted into them. This flexibility means that fewer alterations are required to get the best fit. It also means that the fabric is breathable and easy to move in, which is key for the dancers to be able to execute the challenging choreography of the ballet.

The hardest alteration to get right is the length of the Wilis tutus. The tutus worn in Giselle are longer than the typical romantic style tutu; they are altered to hit the ribbon line of the point shoe, rather than show the entire foot. It is important that each dancer in the ensemble be matched with an appropriate length tutu for uniformity. “The Wilis skirts have historically been a very specific length. When the dancers go into high arabesque, the skirt should hit the ground,” McLernon explains.

The long layers of tulle achieve an otherworldly effect. McLernon says, “The fabric is just lovely. It’s heavy, soft tulle that moves so beautifully, it just seems to float. I’m looking forward to seeing them all together on stage.”

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Profiles

Giselle

Sep 19–29, 2019

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Dancer Insight: Viktorina Kapitonova on Giselle

Discover what it's like to dance the title role of this iconic ballet.

The role of Giselle is renowned for its technical and emotional difficulty, and continues to be a touchstone in the legacy of great ballerinas. Go behind the scenes with Principal Dancer Viktorina Kapitonova and discover what it's like to dance this coveted role.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Dancer Insight: Lily Price on Giselle

The corps de ballet drives the action in this romantic masterpiece.

The corps roles of Giselle are beautiful, iconic, and notoriously difficult. While the choreography may look effortless, it requires excellent technical precision. Step behind the curtain with Artist Lily Price and discover what it's like to perform the role of a Wili.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Dancer Insight: Patrick Yocum on Giselle

With his fate in the hands of the Wilis, is true love enough to save Albrecht?

Get to know Albrecht, the young nobleman who sweeps Giselle off her feet—and ultimately drives her mad with heartbreak. Hear how Principal Dancer Patrick Yocum tackles this complex role.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Get to know Albrecht, the young nobleman who sweeps Giselle off her feet—and ultimately drives her mad with heartbreak. Hear how Principal Dancer Patrick Yocum tackles this complex role.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Dancer Insight: Paulina Waski on Giselle

She’s regal, courageous, and merciless. Get to know the queen of the Wilis.

Meet Myrtha, a tenacious leader who protects and guides the Wilis in their quest for justice. Step behind the curtain with Artist Paulina Waski and explore the many sides of this often misunderstood character.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Inside Look: Ballet Pantomime

Get an inside look at how dancers use pantomime to tell stories through movement, rather than words.

Discover the meaning behind the movement as Principal Dancers Viktorina Kapitonova and Patrick Yocum, led by Ballet Master Larissa Ponomarenko, demonstrate ballet pantomime.

Video by Element Productions

Discover the meaning behind the movement as Principal Dancers Viktorina Kapitonova and Patrick Yocum, led by Ballet Master Larissa Ponomarenko, demonstrate ballet pantomime.

Video by Element Productions

Spotlight: The Irish Wolfhound in Giselle

Get to know Griffin, the 150 lb Irish Wolfhound who is getting ready to make his debut in Giselle.

Meet Griffin, a rescue pup from Hungary who now lives on a horse farm in Berlin, MA. From costume fittings to cross training, see how he's preparing for his onstage debut during the hunting scene in Act 1 of Giselle.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Sneak Peek of Giselle

Will it be happily ever after for these two young lovers?

Giselle and Albrecht ask a flower to tell their fate in this sneak peek, set against the beautiful backdrop of Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Giselle and Albrecht ask a flower to tell their fate in this sneak peek, set against the beautiful backdrop of Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum.

Video by Ernesto Galan

Spotlight: Giselle

He loves me, he loves me not...

Catch a haunting preview of Giselle and fall madly in love with this gripping tale of romance and revenge. After betraying his lover, will the power of forgiveness be enough to save Albrecht from the vengeful Willis?

Video by Ernesto Galan

Behind the Scenes

Giselle Synopsis

This is the story of Giselle, a lovely peasant girl with a weak heart and a passion for dancing.

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Behind the Scenes

Larissa Ponomarenko’s Journey with Giselle

Larissa Ponomarenko reflects on her relationship with Giselle, from dancing the iconic role to staging it for Boston Ballet.

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Behind the Scenes

History of Boston Ballet’s Giselle

Discover the enduring legacy of Boston Ballet’s Giselle, one of the most beloved cornerstones of classical ballet.

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Behind the Scenes