Carolina Ballet Presents Giselle May 16-23

Local Professional Ballet Company Closes Its 15th Season with Classical Romantic Masterpiece.

Raleigh, NC, May 02, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Robert Weiss, artistic director and CEO of Carolina Ballet (http://www.carolinaballet.com), has announced that the company will present Giselle, a romantic classical masterpiece, at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium (RMA) Thursday, May 16 through Sunday, May 19 and at Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) on Thursday, May 23. Giselle, performed by every major ballet company in the world, debuted in Paris in 1841 and is considered the touchstone of ballet for the Romantic era. The ballet tells the story of a young peasant girl with a strong passion for dancing who falls in love with a nobleman in disguise and dies of a broken heart. Carolina Ballet’s production of Giselle will feature music by Adolphe Adam and choreography by Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli, with modifications by Weiss. The performance schedule is as follows:

At RMA:
- Thursday, May 16 at 8 p.m.
- Friday, May 17 at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, May 18 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Sunday, May 19 at 2 p.m.

At DPAC:
- Thursday, May 23 at 8 p.m.

The first act begins in a small village where young Giselle meets and flirts with Albrecht, who is disguised as a peasant though he is actually a nobleman. In spite of Hilarion’s, another young suitor for Giselle’s affection, claims that Albrecht is untrustworthy, a passionate love relationship develops between Giselle and Albrecht. However, when Albrecht’s true identity is revealed at a hunting party for noblemen, Giselle is overcome by betrayal and grief, causing her heart to stop.

The second act, one of the most famous in all of ballet, is set in a graveyard where the evil Queen of the Willis, Myrtha, summons her spirits. These spirits capture men walking along the road beside the cemetery at night and force them to dance. When Albrecht arrives with lilies for Giselle’s grave, Myrtha demands he dance to his death, but Giselle’s love and support saves his life.

Castings for Giselle will be posted one to two weeks prior to performance date. The role of Giselle is one of the most sought after in ballet, as it demands technical perfection, outstanding grace and exemplary dramatic skill. Some of the most accomplished dancers to perform this role include Carlotta Grisi, Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Spessivtseva, Galina Ulanova, Alicia Markova and Eva Evdokimova.

Tickets for Giselle may be purchased by calling the Carolina Ballet box office at (919) 719-0900, through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787, or at Carolina Ballet’s website, http://www,carolinaballet.com. Tickets may be purchased in person at any Ticketmaster Ticket Center location or the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, located at 2 East South Street in Raleigh.

Quotes:
“Giselle is a beautifully romantic masterpiece performed by every major ballet company in the world,” said Weiss. “We are extremely proud to add this piece to our repertoire at Carolina Ballet.”

New Media Content:
Carolina Ballet Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/CarolinaBallet

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https://twitter.com/#!/CarolinaBallet

Carolina Ballet Meetup page:
http://www.meetup.com/dance-507/

Carolina Ballet Pinterest page:
http://pinterest.com/carolinaballet/

About Carolina Ballet:
Carolina Ballet is a world-class professional ballet company based in Raleigh, N.C. Since its professional launch in 1998 under the leadership of Artistic Director/CEO Robert Weiss, the company has staged more than 80 world premiere ballets, toured internationally in China and Hungary, and has been acclaimed as one of the premiere arts organizations in the country. The mission of Carolina Ballet is to entertain and enlighten audiences in Raleigh, the greater Triangle area, North Carolina and beyond. The organization seeks to accomplish this mission by presenting traditional ballets of legendary masters; commissioning new works by innovative choreographers; educating current and future audiences through programs for school-aged children and other performance outreach activities; and attracting, developing, and retaining excellent dancers and artistic personnel, combined with a fiscally responsible management and board of directors. For more information, please visit http://www.carolinaballet.com or call (919) 719-0800.

Emily Packard
MMI Public Relations
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emily@mmipublicrelations.com
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Carolina Ballet
Patty Briguglio
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