For four hours a day, over many months, dancers at the Australian Ballet Company have practised precision and pirouettes to bring Giselle to life in Albury.
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Sydney’s Sophie Morgan and Japan’s Takahiro Tamagawa said performing the traditional story as a professional dancer has been a dream since they were five and three respectively.
Ms Morgan said performing regionally was a great way to show young children the magic of ballet.
“It’s very important because they don’t always get to witness the beauty of ballet,” she said.
“The music, the costumes – it’s really important for us to take that culture regionally.
“We have a responsibility to take ballet everywhere we can to give people and children the opportunity to see it – it’s not just for city people.”
Ms Morgan will take on the role of a peasant, girlfriend and lead willie during two performances Saturday and one Friday.
Mr Tamagawa performs as a peasant and in a peasant couple.
He said the two-act play centres around the title character Giselle.
“It’s a very traditional and romantic ballet, the first act is cheerful but ends in tragedy and the second everyone is in white and it’s very eerie,” he said.
“The second act is very different from the first.
“Giselle is the most beautiful girl in the village and the Albrecht is a royal, he sees Giselle and falls in love.
“It turns out he’s engaged to another royal and Giselle’s heart breaks.”
In the ballet Giselle dies of a broken heart and is transformed into a spirit where she is reunited with her lover in a forest haunted by ghosts of jilted women.
Ms Morgan said it was a fantastic story and the audiences throughout regional Australia had loved the classic tale and choreography.
Mr Tamagawa arrived in Australia six weeks ago after being cast in the performance and has been training intensively with the other dancers.
Valerie Tereshchenko stars as Giselle with Jake Mangakahia as Prince Albrecht and Valerie Tereshchenko as Bathilde.
Ms Morgan encouraged residents to get out and see the ballet, saying it was enjoyable for ballet fanatics and newbies alike.