Sarasota Ballet takes a sentimental journey with 'Giselle'

When Margaret Barbieri was growing up in Durban, South Africa, she often felt sick when it was time to go to school. Her mother was concerned enough to take her daughter to a doctor, who prescribed a healthy dose of physical activity. Ballet lessons would be just the cure for what was ailing the seemingly sickly child.

Barbieri's mother followed the doctor's advice and the course of Margaret's life was changed forever. She was such a promising young ballerina that she was accepted at age 16 by the Royal Ballet School in London. She later joined what is now the Royal Birmingham Ballet, where she danced in such classical ballets as "The Sleeping Beauty," "Swan Lake" and "Coppélia."

But none of these roles won her the acclaim that dancing in Sir Peter Wright's "Giselle" did. Barbieri's interpretation of a shy peasant girl who falls in love with a count who is already engaged was so perfectly drawn that she was invited to perform "Giselle" at the Deutsche Oper in 1973.

The following year, Barbieri returned to her homeland to dance "Giselle." In South Africa, the prodigal daughter was hailed for her poignant performance of a woman who goes mad when she loses love. 

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It's a tale that has resonated with balletomanes for nearly two centuries. "Giselle" first premiered at the Paris Opera Ballet in 1841 in a production choreographed by Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli.

In 1884, French dancer and choreographer Marius Petipa, whose influence is felt even today in the ballet world, restaged the performance for the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Sarasota Ballet first performed Wright's version of "Giselle," which he created in the 1960s, in 2009. It returned 10 years later with Victoria Hulland and Ricardo Graziano as Giselle and Count Albrecht and was revived again in 2021.

Three different couples star in 'Giselle'

The Sarasota Ballet's latest production, which runs from Nov. 22-23 at the Sarasota Opera House, will feature three different couples as the star-crossed lovers. Jennifer Hackbarth and Ricardo Rhodes, Jessica Assef and Luke Schaufuss and Macarena Giminez and Maximiliano Iglesias are all principal dancers with the company. 

Giminez and Iglesias, who are married, made a name for themselves as Giselle and Albrecht at the Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before they joined the Sarasota Ballet during the 2022-23 season. Assef previously played the lead in "Giselle" when she was with the Atlanta Ballet.

Although some of the dancers are new to the roles in this full-length ballet, which runs two hours and 15 minutes including an intermission, they have the benefit of Barbieri and Hulland's experience. 

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Just months after her retirement as a principal dancer, Hulland returned to Sarasota Ballet in November 2022 as artistic assistant to Barbieri and Iain Webb, director of the ballet. 

The husband-and-wife team have been at the helm of the Sarasota Ballet since 2007 though Barbieri did not get her formal title until 2012. 

Having veteran dancers such as Barbieri and Hulland is valuable for a ballet company because choreography isn't written down in a book the way dialogue and stage directions are in a play.

Technology has made the process of handing down a dance over the generations easier over the last 60 years or so, with videos that were first in physical form and now can be viewed on the internet.

For ballets by major choreographers such as George Balanchine, companies often hire a “répétiteur," who prepares dancers to perform a particular work so that it remains true to its original choreography.

For the Sarasota Ballet's "Giselle," that's not necessary because it has expertise in house with Barbieri and Hulland. Barbieri has danced "Giselle" more than 100 times in her career.

Keeping romance alive without exaggeration

Reflecting on her experience performing "Giselle" and coaching others in the role, Barbieri notes that Wright kept the romantic quality of the story in his production but simplified the mime so the gestures weren't as exaggerated as in earlier versions. 

"He wanted the production to be realistic," she says. "He didn't want it to be airy-fairy."

There's still plenty of drama left in the production, most notably in scenes between Giselle and her mother, Berthe, who is concerned about her daughter's heart condition, and when Giselle goes mad.

Live music heightens the drama in the Sarasota Ballet's latest "Giselle." Led by guest conductor Ormsby Wilkins, Sarasota Orchestra will play Adolph Adam's score for the ballet. Wilkins has served as the music director of American Ballet Theatre since 2005.

Despite the attention given to the lead roles in "Giselle," Barbieri says the corps de ballet plays an important role in the production. "They play the Wilis, the ghosts of maidens who were betrayed and died before their wedding day," she says. 

Spoiler alert: Giselle joins the ranks of the Wilis after being jilted by Count Albrecht.

Today, lovers "ghost" each other and break up via text or social media, but the themes of love and loss continue to strike a chord with audiences. "Nearly everyone has experienced losing love," Barbieri said in a telephone interview.

Barbieri is one of the lucky ones. Although she portrayed the spurned lover countless times on the stage, she got a fairy-tale ending in real life. Barbieri fell in love with and married fellow dancer Webb, a veteran of both the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet (now the Birmingham Royal) and the Royal Ballet in London.

Together they have raised the profile of the Sarasota Ballet to undreamed of heights — with help from former Metropolitan Opera General Manager Joseph Volpe, who came out of retirement in 2016 to join the company.