{"id":304384,"date":"2026-05-07T15:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/304384\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T15:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:06:11","slug":"los-angeles-ballets-giselle-twenty-years-is-still-young","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/304384\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Ballet\u2019s \u201cGiselle\u201d: Twenty Years is Still Young"},"content":{"rendered":"

To celebrate its 20th annual season, Los Angeles Ballet<\/a> (LAB) presented the beloved, Romantic-era Giselle. The program ran Thursday, April 30th through Sunday, May 3rd at the Music Center\u2019s 2,000 seat Ahmanson Theater<\/a> in downtown Los Angeles, an ambitious undertaking in terms of ticket sales for a company with mostly local recognition. And yet, sizeable audiences showed up for this renowned work, which first premiered in 1841<\/a> at the Paris Opera Ballet and has been restaged worldwide ever since.<\/p>\n

Under the Artistic Direction of Melissa Barak<\/a>, LAB honors Giselle\u2019s lineage with a program note on the choreography: \u201cStaging and choreography by Melissa Barak after Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot, after Marius Petipa.\u201d This production therefore nods to Giselle\u2019s earliest choreographers and to the iterative nature of ballet repertory, while locating Barak\u2019s interpretation as part of a long legacy. The company did not perform with a live orchestra, and surprisingly, program credits did not mention which recording of Adolphe Adam\u2019s composition was used.<\/p>\n

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Los Angeles Ballet \u2013 Act I of \u201cGiselle\u201d \u2013 Villagers \u2013 Photo by Cheryl Mann.<\/p>\n

Period scenic and costume design by Peter Farmer<\/a>, courtesy of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, further salutes history, creating a romantic-era visual world \u2013 or at least how we imagine one. In the first act, painted wooden flats construct the facade of a humble cottage; the wings are impressionistically painted to suggest trees surrounding a village center. In Act Two,\u00a0 the upstage scrim becomes a painting of a full moon over a still lake, exquisitely lit by Lighting Designer Nathan W. Scheuer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Done well, this ballet has the potential to break the viewer\u2019s heart or at least open a portal to a shared sense of human pain. Like other significant works from the mid-late 1800s, including novels by Tolstoy or symphonies by Tchaikovsky, Giselle deals with matters of the soul. And so, a certain gravitas is required from the dancers to make the emotional weight felt, and to avoid the trap of attempting earnestness and ending up with camp.<\/p>\n

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Los Angeles Ballet\u2019s \u201cGiselle\u201d (Act I) \u2013 Kate Inoue as Giselle and Marcos Ramirez as Albrecht \u2013 Photo by Cheryl Mann.<\/p>\n

While LAB dancers gave a committed performance they couldn\u2019t quite summon such transcendence. Many of the artists\u2019 biographies emphasize elite training, Youth American Grand Prix awards and company apprenticeships rather than substantive professional experience outside of LAB, which gives the impression that most of these dancers are still early in their careers. No doubt they will continue to develop under Barak\u2019s direction, and we as a city will be lucky to watch, but a ballet like Giselle needs a cast with the grit of life experience in order to achieve spiritual gravity.<\/p>\n

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Los Angeles Ballet\u2019s \u201cGiselle\u201d (Act II) \u2013 Kate Inoue as Giselle and Marcos Ramirez as Albrecht \u2013 Photo by Cheryl Mann.<\/p>\n

One exception to this was Sarah-Ashley Chicola in the title role, whose depth became more palpable as the ballet progressed, particularly in Act II. On a technical level, Chicola\u2019s dancing is bright and clear, with lofted jumps and a swiftness as she travels through space. Evan Gorbell as Albrecht partnered her on Friday, and while his solo dancing had shining moments, their partnering lacked the one-minded synchronization seen in top-tier companies. A few shaky landings from Gorbell also distracted from some of his variations. In terms of physical type, Lilly Fife was a strong casting choice as Queen of the Wilis, but her performance did not effectively communicate otherworldliness. Poppy Coleman and Jacob Soltero on the other hand, were an energizing and memorable duet as the Peasant Pas (Friday night cast.) In general, this production could benefit from a theater director to elevate the storytelling, although the performance must have been different on Saturday evening, when Skylar Brandt<\/a>, of ABT made a guest appearance as Giselle alongside Jarod Curley (also of ABT) as Albrecht.<\/p>\n

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Los Angeles Ballet\u2019s \u201cGiselle\u201d (Act II) \u2013 Aviva Gelfer MundI as Myrtha \u2013 Photo by Cheryl Mann.<\/p>\n

One curious casting decision was Guest Artist Matisse Love<\/a> as Giselle\u2019s mother \u2013 a character role with no dancing. This seemed odd, given Love\u2019s extensive international touring career as a soloist. Ballet fans might recognize Love from her recent role in the Netflix series \u00c9toile, or her appearance in Kate Hudson\u2019s music video Right on Time.<\/p>\n

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Los Angeles Ballet\u2019s \u201cGiselle\u201d (Act II) \u2013 Marcos Ramierz as Albrecht \u2013 Photo by Cheryl Mann.<\/p>\n

Compared to many ballet organizations across the United States, LAB remains relatively new. San Francisco Ballet was founded in 1933; New York City Ballet in 1948; Boston and Houston Ballets in the 1960s. It takes time to attract committed donors willing to invest in a long term vision, to build up a budget ample enough to attract top talent, and to cultivate a loyal audience. Although twenty years is a significant moment in any organization\u2019s history \u2013 for a ballet company \u2013 LAB is still very young.<\/p>\n

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Los Angeles Ballet\u2019s \u201cGiselle\u201d (Act II) \u2013 Corps de Ballet \u2013 Photo by Cheryl Mann.<\/p>\n

The dancers on Friday night\u2019s program were: Sarah-Ashley Chicola (Giselle), Evan Gorbell (Albrecht), Nick Sedano (Hilarion), Poppy Coleman & Jacob Soltero (Peasant Pas), Anna Jacobs (Bathilde), Matisse Love (Berthe), Lilly Fife (Myrtha), Natalia Burns, Taylor Hugens, Chloe Oronoz, Holly Bratkovich, Sarah Hurty, Anna Funkakura, Cassidy Cocke, Cleo Taneja, Brigitte Edwards, Paige Wilkey, Ashley Chung, Lilly Leech, Rony Baseman, Theo Swank, Marco Biella, Felipe Zapiola, Bryce Broedell, John Deckle, Lilly Olvera, Olivia Flanyak, Evan Swenson, Sherwood Sheen, Julianne Kinasiewicz, Abigail Gross, Brigitte Edwards,\u00a0 Lilly Olvera, Leya Graham.<\/p>\n

To learn more about the Los Angeles Ballet, please visit their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

**Please note that these photos were taken at Sunday, May 3rd\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

Written by Annie Kahane for LA Dance Chronicle.<\/p>\n

Featured image: Los Angeles Ballet\u2019s \u201cGiselle\u201d (Act II) \u2013 Kate Inoue as Giselle \u2013 Photo by Cheryl Mann.<\/p>\n

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