Giselle is one of those classic romantic ballets that every dance lover should see. The artistry of the movement, the heartbreak of the story, the flow of the music it’s ballet at its finest. And the National Ballet of Canada does it justice.

Opening on Dec. 5 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Giselle tells the story of a young German peasant girl and the two men who love her. Loys is really Count Albrecht of Silesia, but has disguised himself as a peasant farmer to win the heart of Giselle, which he does. Hilarion is a local forester who is also in love with the angelic Giselle, and suspects Loys of being dishonest about his identity. Hilarion eventually spoiler alert discovers the truth about Albrecht and tells Giselle, who then sorrowfully kills herself with the Count’s sword. And so ends Act I.

Where the first act is cheerful and bright, taking place in a Rhineland valley surrounded by warm coloured trees and cottages, Act II is dark and eerie. I enjoyed the second act more than the first, for its passion and whimsy and darkness. In this half of the story, both men mourn the loss of Giselle by visiting her grave, and are thus greeted by the Wilis spirits of betrothed young women who have died of grief after being betrayed by their lovers, led by their queen, Myrtha. The spirit of Giselle comes back to haunt Albrecht, and the dancing that ensues is painful and serene.

The opening night cast was a stacked one, featuring Greta Hodgkinson as Giselle, Guillaume Cote as Albrecht, Piotr Stanczyk as Hilarion, and Heather Ogden as Myrtha. Hodgkinson and Cote were a powerful duo, both convincingly evoking the intense pain and drama that their characters feel. Hodgkinson in particular had quite a difficult task ahead of her, having to journey her character from the sprightly living Giselle to the heartbroken spirit one and she did a great job of that, allowing her movements in Act II to float across the stage in an airy-like way that only a professional ballerina could. Cote is a beast of a dancer seriously, if you haven’t seen him in the short film Lost in Motion then go watch it RIGHT NOW with so much muscle and technique and grace that I can’t help but smile when I watch him perform. Ogden (who, I will never stop telling the world, went to the same dance academy as me back in Richmond, B.C.) is consistently one of my favourite dancers to see on stage and not just because I have a history with her, but because she is technically and stylistically flawless in her movement.

At the curtain call, Hodgkinson and Cote were presented with bouquets of flowers for their leading roles. Ogden, who is married to Cote (because FAIRYTALES DO EXIST), stood next to him, and I saw him subtly hand her one of the roses from his bouquet a testament to her performance, and his love for her. I saw the sparkle it put in her eye even from the audience. It was one of the cutest things I’ve ever. Seen.

Giselle is a heartbreaking tale with a sad ending: after dancing with Albrecht, Giselle fades back into her grave, and the man is left alone to live with the sorrow and guilt that envelops his heart. As Cote stood there on stage alone, the curtain lowering, the friend that I was sitting with let out a deep and pained sigh that said it all: her heart, in those moments, was right there with his. And if that’s not the mark of a job well done, I’m not sure what is.

Giselle runs until Dec. 9th

~ Sara Harowitz