CLASSIQUE - Variation n°6 - Épreuves de danse 2025

Historical context 

Premiered on 28 June 1841 at the Paris Opéra, then the Académie Royale de Musique on rue Le Peletier, the ballet Giselle marked the apogee of ‘romantic’ dance, which is said to have been ‘born’ in 1832 with Philippe Taglioni’s La Sylphide.

Théophile Gautier wrote the libretto with the help of playwright Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint Georges and Jean Coralli; the music was commissioned from Adolphe Adam, the sets from Pierre Cicéri and the costumes from Paul Lormier. The choreography was entrusted to Jean Coralli – current ballet master at the Paris Opera – and Jules Perrot. The principal performers were Carlotta Grisi (Giselle), Lucien Petipa (Albrecht) and Adèle Dumilâtre (the Queen of the Wilis). The ballet Giselle was enthusiastically acclaimed at the time of its premiere and was danced in all the major European capitals by the best ballerinas of the time (Elena Andreyanova, Lucille Grahn, Fanny Elssler, etc.).

Reconstruction by Pierre Lacotte

Pierre Lacotte faithfully reconstructed this major work of the Romantic repertoire, which had disappeared from the French stage for almost 60 years (1868-1924). Giselle was nevertheless preserved in Russia and reworked by Marius Petipa (Lucien’s brother), who was present at its first performance in Paris.

By using period documents – in particular the score annotated by Marius Petipa with Perrot’s instructions – and oral tradition (memories of Egorova and Zambelli), Pierre Lacotte was able to restore a version that is particularly faithful to the one first performed in 1841.

He retained the pas de deux of the peasants (now known as the pas de deux of the grape-pickers in most current revivals), danced at the premiere by Nathalie Fitzjames and Mabille to music by Burgmüller, and reintroduced the pas de deux of the grape-pickers, originally performed by Carlotta Grisi and Lucien Petipa. As for the sets, Pierre Lacotte was a great admirer of Cicéri and had them accurately recreated. The costumes were made in the same way, using models available to the Paris Opera.

Pierre Lacotte created Giselle in 1978 for the Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin, remounted it in 1985 in Monaco when he was directing the Ballets de Monte-Carlo and in 1991 at the Ballet national de Nancy et de Lorraine, which he directed. 

Recommendations

The ‘pas de deux des paysans’ variation is in the pure style of the French school.

It requires work in both petite and grande batterie. 

Work on the petite batterie should begin in the second cycle facing the bar on 2 feet (entrechats 3, 4, etc.), 1 foot on 2 feet (brisés, assemblés battus, etc.) or on one foot (brisés volés, jetés battus, etc.). This work is continued in series in the centre with regularity (daily work if possible). For the grande batterie, the process is the same as for the entrechat 6. An exercise facing the bar and starting in second position to beat entrechat 5 allows you to work the inner thigh muscles and find a battery from the side without opening the legs too much when moving from first position to fifth position.

This large battery requires power in the legs and therefore work on large jumps on 2 feet is necessary (type: change of foot, jerks, escapes…).

Ground work can be a complement (on the glutes with the chest and legs raised at 45 degrees). 

For the variation, if the sissonne entrechat 7 finie attitude is too difficult, the student is allowed to do a sissonne entrechat 3 finie attitude.

As for the interpretation, since the variation appears in the first act during the harvest festival, it should be lively, joyful and demonstrative. 

Christophe DUQUENNE