Giselle at the Sarasota Ballet

By Ryan G. Van Cleave | Photo By Frank Atura

This year’s season of The Sarasota Ballet ends with Giselle, considered by most to be one of the greatest full-length romantic ballets. It was a huge success when it was first performed back in 1841 with Italian dancer Carlotta Grisi in the title role at the Paris Opera. Giselle is one of the longest-surviving Romantic ballets that remains in the repertoire of most of the major ballet companies throughout the world. “The role of Giselle is one that every female dancer wants to perform as it demands both technical expertise as well as a strong acting ability. The ballet is also a great vehicle to showcase the entire Company,” says Margaret Barbieri, Assistant Director of The Sarasota Ballet. “Having Giselle in our repertoire is a testament to the quality of our dancers and The Sarasota Ballet’s standing in the dance world.”

Few can appreciate the role of Giselle as well as Barbieri, who launched her own career as a Romantic ballerina at the age of 21 in the title role of Giselle. About how that came to be, she explains, “In my graduating performances for The Royal Ballet School, I dislocated my knee on stage. I was very fortunate that they still gave me a contract to join the company. The following year, I participated in an educational program called Ballet For All, which took ballet performances into the schools, as well as taught them the history of dance. Not only was it good for students to learn about ballet, but it provided young dancers like myself opportunities to be seen dancing leading roles. In my case, I performed in a program about the Romantic period, and I was chosen to dance Giselle. During the course of the tour, John Field, the director of the Royal Ballet Touring Company, came to see a performance, after which he told me that he was very impressed and that, ‘One day soon, you will dance Giselle’ with the Company. I was delighted with what he said but didn’t think anything would come of it, certainly not very soon.

“As it happened, Giselle came into our repertoire the following year. On the cast list, all the principal ladies were listed for the part of Giselle, but to my huge surprise, my name was up there as well, but in brackets. At rehearsals I was intimidated by all the principal dancers in the studio and therefore sat on the floor and watched, trying to learn the role. But one day, John Field came into the studio and told me that I’d ‘never learn sitting down’ and to start marking the role in the back. The opening night of Sir Peter Wright’s new production of Giselle at Covent Garden was approaching, and during a stage call of Giselle in the final week before it opened, Mr. Field came to my dressing room to ask me to get out of my peasant costume and come out front and sit with him.

“I was very upset because I thought he must think I’m not good enough to even be a peasant. However, when we got into the auditorium, he announced to me that I would be dancing Giselle on the coming Saturday matinee, giving me four days to prepare for this major role. Lucky for me and for my partner, Nicholas Johnson, we had the backing of Dame Ninette de Valois, Founding Director of The Royal Ballet, as well as John Field, who believed in our abilities and wanted us to perform these major roles. We were also fortunate that it was a huge success, and over the twenty five years of my career, I danced close to 150 performances of Giselle. In later years, when working with Dame Alicia Markova, she coached me in the role of Giselle, and I found it inspirational to work with such a great Giselle as she was.”

It’s important to note that The Sarasota Ballet’s version of Giselle is based on Sir Peter Wright’s highly-esteemed production. Barbieri knows better than most how truly special this version is. “This is a production I have always loved dancing. Sir Peter Wright first staged it, in fact, for Stuttgart Ballet, and on the strength of its success, it came to The Royal Ballet and, consequently, has gone to many of the major companies around the world. His production retains the Romantic period style of when it was first conceived, but brings a realism to the characters, making sense of the story.”

When asked about any insider secrets she might impart to the Company’s dancers, Barbieri says that she simply tries to impart to them her experiences and what she’s learned from the greatest Giselles of all time, such as Dame Margot Fonteyn, Dame Alicia Markova, Carla Fracci, and Natalia Makarova. At the same time, though, her goal is to help new dancers make the role their own.

Come out and witness Giselle for yourself on April 26th and 27th at the Sarasota Opera House. Accompanied by the Sarasota Orchestra and conducted by The Royal Ballet Principal Guest Conductor Barry Wordsworth, this will be a performance you won’t soon forget.

For more information about The Sarasota Ballet, please visit sarasotaballet.org or call 941.359.0099.