SCENE IT: Ethereal GISELLE speaks of timeless romance in CBA’s exquisite offering

Barbara Loots

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GISELLE is the latest offering of the young (but already celebrated) ballet company, Cape Ballet Africa. Supposed to be a tragic tale, the ethereal elegance of this production (currently onstage at the Baxter Theatre) sweeps you along and amidst the all-round beautiful ballet performances you almost forget that this tale sees a heart-broken peasant girl forgive all from the grave.  

Photo by Helena Fagan.

Cape Ballet Africa’s GISELLE offering —billed as Maina Gielgud’s GISELLE— is not only technically impressive but emotionally powerful: A balance that the company seems to be able to strike perfectly in every offering to date. Emotion is never far from the surface when these ballerinas take to the stage, and it is addictive to watch someone enjoy their craft so unashamedly while dancing with great precision.

The eyes of the dancers reflect the wide range of emotions of their characters as they capture the audience’s hearts, resulting in a rather whimsical and hypnotic offering. At no point does the dancing in this GISELLE feel laboured; you do not see the hard work behind the exceptional technique.

At the centre of the show is Giselle (Mia Coomber), a peasant girl, who falls in love with Albrecht (Gabriel Ravenscroft), a nobleman in disguise, though he is promised to another. Hilarion (Jan Kotze), who is himself in love with Giselle, exposes Albrecht’s betrayal and in a crazed state of grief she dies of a broken heart. Relegated to a vengeful purgatory of sorts, Giselle ultimately embraces forgiveness, which results in a sense of release for both her and Albrecht… even though they will forever be apart.

Photo by Helena Fagan.

Act I kicks off on a light and bright, high-energy note, as Giselle and friends celebrate with a youthful spirit. Paige McElligot and Joshue Williams had the audience absolutely enthralled with their beautiful Peasant Pas De Deux. But once Giselle’s heart is shattered, her “mad scene” sees the mood spiral and shift in a captivating manner as she passes from the world of the living to that of the dead. With this the audience transitions along with Giselle into a world that is generally characterized with darker, supernatural undertones in Act II, showing that there are two sides to this youthful romance.

The darker tones of Act II do not dim the beauty of this ballet though. The sadness never feels oppressive, nor does it diminish any of the magic and awe that the moody movement of this ballet evokes.

A ghostly army of maidens (known as the Wilis), also betrayed by their lovers, welcomes Giselle into their ranks, led by the ever-excellent Leanè Theunissen as the majestic and merciless Queen of the Wilis. The ethereal nature of the dancers floating through the graveyard following Giselle’s death is a standout, a magnificent moment of ballet brilliance. The corps de ballet move with such grace and control, that if their feet were covered, they would surely give the same effect as the Russian folk dancing tradition known as “ghost walking”. They look to float over the stage with absolute grace as an ethereal unit.

Photo by Helena Fagan.

The tension is elevated as the Queen of the Wilis condemns a guilt-ridden Albrecht to dance to his death. But love conquers all as Giselle intervenes to save him. Her selfless act returns him to his place amongst the living. Even though GISELLE’S final ballet movements are cloaked with a ghostly feel, nothing in it evokes terror. It rather heightens a sense of longing, forgiveness, and release.

Gielgud’s delightful and impeccable choreography hand is clearly all over this production, to the level of perfection: The choreography is characterized by beautiful long lines without losing any sense of softness, which elevates this production to new GISELLE heights. The overall mood of this ballet is further strengthened by great aesthetics, courtesy of Wilhelm Disbergen (lighting design) and Michael Mitchell (set and costume design).

GISELLE is one of those poignant and mythical ballets that remains ever relevant with its ageless themes of innocence, love, deception, betrayal and compassion – showing that love can transcend all in an unconditional and unconventional way. It gives the audience a sense of hope, if only for a moment, as you allow yourself to be swept away out of reality by the romance that pulses throughout.

Photo by Helena Fagan.

Cape Ballet Africa’s latest offering, GISELLE, currently onstage at the Baxter Theatre until 22 November 2025, is a ballet triumph. Tickets can be booked online through Webtickets if you wish to experience this whimsical delight.

Performances are to a recorded score by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

Performance dates and cast list:

Wed 19 Nov 19h30

Leanè Theunissen, Solomon Osazuva (guest), Thomas Larché, Paige McElligott

Thurs 20 Nov 11h30

Paige McElligott, Joshua Williams, Nicolas Laubscher, Julia O’Keeffe

Thurs 20 Nov 19h30

Mia Coomber, Gabriel Ravenscroft, Jan Kotze,  Leanè Theunissen

Sat 22 Nov 15h00

Mia Coomber, Gabriel Ravenscroft, Jan Kotze, Tayla De Bie

Sat 22 Nov 19h30

Leanè Theunissen, Solomon Osazuva (guest), Thomas Larché, Mia Coomber