AkramKhan'sGiselle

Download the programme for Giselle here. Souvenir programmes are available to purchase at the performances.

In acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan's vital reimagining of Giselle, the classical ballet's tale of love, betrayal and redemption is transported to the 21st century; the peasants of the story are now outcast migrant factory workers; and the essential themes of class and dislocation are given a bracing contemporary relevance.

Khan's daring aesthetic is carried beautifully by English National Ballet's celebrated company of dancers. Their feats range from sensational large-scale group dances to intensely intimate performances in the ballet's memorable second act, where Giselle returns from the supernatural underworld with other spirits seeking revenge on their lovers.

Under the vision of Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, this bold commission also boasts an impressive sense of scale. It's a massive production of a kind rarely seen in New Zealand and only possible within the context of Auckland Arts Festival, with nearly 100 artists and crew travelling here along with a monumental set designed by Oscar-winner Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Our own Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra will bring to life Vincenzo Lamagna's haunting new score.

Highly visual performance: Introductory notes in NZSL video available for Deaf and hard of hearing patrons. Click here  for more details.

 Sunday 4  March  5pm - Pre Show Touch Tour (3.30pm) and Audio Described Performance. Click here for more details. 

EXTRA: Film screening – Curing Albrecht
Sunday 4 March 3pm-8pm
 Air New Zealand Foyer, Level 5, Aotea Centre
Free Entry
Curing Albrecht is an original dance film,  commissioned by English National Ballet and created in partnership with Manchester International Festival. Directed and choreographed by Morgann Runacre-Temple and Jessica Wright, the short film (approx 7 mins) is inspired by themes of dancing and madness in Giselle and  depicts a young man who checks into a bespoke institution, hoping to be cured of his inability to stop dancing. In 2017, Curing Albrecht won awards for Best Dance Film at the New Renaissance Film Festival, Best Director at the Portland Dance Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Choreoscope International Dance Film Festival.

Read more about Akram Khan's Giselle in the New Zealand Herald here

English National Ballet artistic director Tamara Rojo featured on Radio New Zealand Saturday Morning with Kim Hill. Click here  to listen