Livingston, MT — May 3, 2018 — Nikita Kusurgahev, a former Bolshoi Ballet soloist, performs the role of Hans, Giselle’s rejected lover who is thrown to his death by the villainous “Wilis” in Yellowstone Ballet Company’s production of Giselle, at the Willson Auditorium in Bozeman on Thursday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. and Friday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m.
The role of Giselle will be performed by French dancer Mathilde Froustey, who trained at the Paris Opera Ballet before becoming a soloist with the company and principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet Company.
Giselle, which debuted in Paris in 1841, is a wrenchingly poignant tale of unrequited love, remorse, and forgiveness. It is set in a German village where Giselle, a village girl, falls in love with the nobleman, Albrecht, who has disguised himself as a peasant. Albrecht engages himself to Giselle although he is already betrothed to the princess Bathilde. Hans, the village gamekeeper, exposes Albrecht’s true identity and Bathilde claims her fiancé in front of the distraught Giselle. Giselle goes mad with disbelief; her heart fails, and she dies.
Act II of the ballet draws from German folklore as it involves the Wilis, female discarnates or ghosts from Slavonic mythology, believed to punish faithless men by dancing with them until they die of exhaustion. Myrta, queen of the Wilis, welcomes Giselle from her grave, then commands her to join the Wilis in dancing both Hans and Albrecht to death. While the Wilis succeed with Hans, Albrecht, who expresses his remorse, begs forgiveness from Giselle, and she shows her forgiveness by dancing with him until dawn breaks and the Wilis disperse—freeing Albrecht and her own soul from the grips of the Wilis.
Dancers from Raison D’être Dance, Bozeman and Billing School of Classical Ballet join Yellowstone Ballet Company in the production.
Tickets are available at Eckroth Music in Bozeman, and online at www.yellowstoneballet.info. Tickets are $25, $38, $52, and $75. Tickets will be available at the door for an additional $2.
