Akram Khan's Giselle

Akram Khan's Giselle description

Electrifying, sensational, staggeringly beautiful and utterly devastating... this is Akram Khan’s Giselle, celebrating the English National Ballet's tenth anniversary at the London Coliseum in 2026. Expect a riveting plot set against a spooky story rich in passion, betrayal and redemption. This glorious re-imagining of the romantic classic is designed to thrill. Behind the forbidding backdrop, we meet Giselle, a migrant worker belonging to the Outcasts community, exploited by evil factory landlords. Giselle's lover, Albrecht, joins Giselle’s group, but he isn't what he seems; he's actually a landlord in disguise. When Giselle joins the eerie Wilis, a group of ghostly women who want to take revenge on the people who wronged them, vengeance is in the air. Can Giselle save Albrecht?

The choreography is by Akram Khan, who has blended traditional ballet with classical Indian kathak and other contemporary dance influences to create sheer magic. The lighting comes from award-winner Mark Henderson, who won the 2006 Tony for Best Lighting Design for The History Boys,. The set is by Academy Award winner Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and the Orchestration is by Gavin Sutherland. Dramaturgy comes from Ruth Little, Assistant Choreography from Andrej Petrovic, Repetiteur by Mavin Khoo and Sound Design from Yvonne Gilbert. The live score comes from Vincenzo Lamagna, adapted from the original by Adolphe Adam and played by the English National Ballet Philharmonic. Sheer delight.

Playing at London Coliseum (venue info)