TOWNSHIP AUDITORIUM
Friday, April 19, 2024 – 7:30 PM
Ashley Concannon • Amar Ramasar • Whitney Huell
Leonardo Victorino • Sakura Oka • Jimmy Moon
Susan Anderson • Josh Alexander • Lawrence Ogina
Nicolas White • Ivan Aguayo
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
IT WILL GIVE YOU THE WILIS!
Tickets (803)-576-2350

INTERNATIONAL BALLET STARS JOIN THE CAROLINA BALLET FOR “GISELLE”

(Columbia, SC)  Ann Brodie’s CAROLINA BALLET WILL present the full-length classical ballet, “Giselle”, Friday, April 19, 2024, at 7:30 PM at The Township Auditorium.

“Giselle” is one of the most famous, and often produced of all the classical ballet’s of the 19^th century.  A ballet in two acts with a story devised from tradition by Vernoy de Saint-Georges, Theophile Gautier and Jean Coralli is danced to the music of Adolphe Adam.  While this is the most famous of Adam’s ballets, he is best remembered today as the composer of the beautiful Christmas carol, “O Holy Night.”

Gautier wrote the original story, but it is Saint-Georges who adapted the folk tale to the stage in the version so well-known to audiences today.  The original legend was made popular by the German poet Heinrich Heine.   The choreography was created by one of the greatest of all choreographers of the Romantic period, Jules Perrot, who was also married to one of the leading ballerinas of the day, Carlotta Grisi.  It was Grisi who danced the title role in the premier in Paris in 1841.

Often the expression “It gives me the Wilis” is said when there is something that touches on the mysterious, eerie or frightening.  “Giselle” is the legend from which that expression has grown over the years.

“Giselle” is the story of the peasant girl, Giselle, who falls in love with the Count Albrecht.  He is, however, living in her village disguised as a peasant, Loys.  Though warned by the gamekeeper, Hilarion, who truly loves Giselle, she refuses to believe that Loys could be deceiving her.  It is not until the Duke of Corland and his daughter, Bathilde, who is Albrecht’s fiancée, come to the village that Hilarion denounces Albrecht by showing the entire village Albrecht’s sword engraved with his noble crest.

The shock is too great for Giselle.  Her already weak heart is broken.  She loses her mind and falls dead in her mother’s arms.

In the second act, the traditional “white ballet” act with its long white romantic tutus, the repentant Albrecht prays at Giselle’s tomb. The tomb is in the forest haunted by the Wilis, the spirits of maidens who have died before their wedding day, and who capture unsuspecting men who come into their woods and dance them to exhaustion before throwing them into the lake.  The Queen of the Wilis, Myrtha, was herself jilted by her lover and is harsh in meeting out justice.  She has already captured Hilarion and thrown him into the lake to his death.

Giselle entreats Myrtha to spare Albrecht.  It is Giselle’s dancing with him that spares Albrecht this fate.   He is saved by the breaking dawn when the Wilis must return to their graves.

Remaining true to the original choreography as staged by the Dutch National Ballet, Carolina Ballet’s production is under the artistic direction of Mimi Worrell.

Guest Artist in Residence, Ashley Concannon,will dance the lead role of Giselle.  She received her early dance training at the Princeton (NJ) Dance and Theatre under the direction of Susan Jaffee.  She has danced with the Orlando Ballet, and studied extensively with the Miami City Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.  She performed with the City Ballet (SC Ballet) for fifteen seasons and as guest artist dancing with Leonardo Victorino in “Spectre de la rose” for Carolina Ballet.  She is a nationally recognized dance photographer and is on the faculty for the Center for Dance Education.

Guest Artist, Amar Ramasar, returns to Columbia to dance the role of Albrecht.  Ramassar, is a former principal dancer with New York City Ballet where he began his studies at the prestigious School of American Ballet.  He has performed with that company throughout the globe, dancing leading roles each season.  He has appeared on Broadway in “West Side Story” and as Jigger in “Carousel.”  He is also one of the leading repetiteurs for the New York City Ballet Choreographic repertory as it is shared worldwide.  He performed with Carolina Ballet in the video production of ‘The Nutcracker”  during COVID and has taught at the Summer Academy.

The role of Myrtha, the Queen of the Wilis, will be danced by Whitney Huell.  Ms. Huell.  She began her dance training in Columbia with Donna Lewis, Eboni Dance Theatre and Carolina Ballet.  She also attended the SC Governor’s School for the Arts, where she studied with Robert Barnett and Stanislav Issaev.  She graduated in dance and psychology from Indiana University and became a member of Ballet West.   She is a leading ballerina at the Kansas City Ballet under Devon Carney.  She has also danced the leading role of the Sugar Plum Fairy with Ann Brodie’s Carolina Ballet.

The role of Hilarion will be danced by resident guest artist, Leonardo Victorino.  Originally from Brazil where he studied at the renowned Bolshoi Ballet School, he has been principal dancer at the American Contemporary Ballet in Los Angeles, Ballet Diablo  and the Moscow Ballet for their United States National tour.  He has performed with the Columbia City Ballet (SC Ballet) in the lead role for “Dracula”.

Susan Anderson, Executive Director of the USC Board of Dance and the creator of the USC Dance program will portray Giselle’s mother, Berthe. Under Ms. Anderson’s guidance, the dance program grew into one of the three top classical dance programs in the country .  Guest Artist Sakura Oka, will portray Bathilde, a princess betrothed to Albrecht, the Duke of Silesia.  Jimmy Moon returns to create the role of Bathilde’s father, the Duke of Courland.

The famous divertissement, “the peasant pas de deux,” in the first act will be danced by Daphne Horvat with Nicholas Stetter.  Stetter studies with Sarah Hairston, a former principal dancer with the Cincinnati Ballet at the Hairston School.

Joining the company for this production are Nicolas White who danced with the North Carolina Ballet  and Columbia City Ballet; Josh Alexander whose credit include Columbia City Jazz and music videos with such stars as Katie Perry, DJ Kalid and Arianna Grande.  He has also appeared on “So You Think You Can Dance” and “World of Dance.   He has also danced for the Latin Billboard awards and the Grammys. Lawrence Ogina, who began his dance training at Dance Centre Kenya and is currently a member of Columbia Classical Ballet under the direction of Brooklyn Mack together with Ivan Aquayo, who also danced with Columbia Classical Ballet will also be in this star studded production.

The corps de ballet for this production is one of the most demanding in the romantic ballet repertoire.  The Wilis, the corps for this production, are the ghosts of the unmarried women who died after being betrayed by their lovers.  They take revenge in the night by dancing men to death by exhaustion (a popular theme in Romantic ballets.)

The Wilis gain their power in numbers as they effortlessly move through dramatic choreographic patterns and synchronized movements controlling the stage with their long tulle tutus and stoic expressions, creating an ethereal atmosphere.  This original choreography after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot has been meticulously staged by Artistic Director Mimi Worrell

As the leading pre-professional ballet company in the Midlands, Ann Brodie’s Carolina Ballet has always stressed the importance of having professional dancers, teachers and choreographers work with the young dancers- in- training to help them recognize that dedication, perseverance, discipline and commitment can and will be rewarded with an opportunity to pursue a professional career given the proper foundation in training.