Word: myrtha
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...takes place on Giselle’s grave, from which she rises as the newest member of the Wilis, spirits of young women who have died before their wedding days. The Queen of the Wilis, Myrtha (Kathleen Breen Combes), leads the ensemble in dancing from midnight until dawn and forcing any men to die if they happen upon the Wili lair. Albrecht comes to Giselle’s grave and almost dies at the hands of the Wilis, only to be saved by Giselle’s spirit...
...Although Ponomarenko’s Giselle is the star of the ballet as a whole, both Rykine’s Prince Albrecht and Combes’ Myrtha manage to outdance her in Act II. Ponomarenko’s greatest accomplishment in this act is to take the recitatives of Adam’s score and convert them into recitatives of her own movement. It is beautiful to see how the changing intonations of the music are embodied in the dance...
...second act takes place in a wooded graveyard where, at the stroke of midnight, the wilis are called up from their graves by Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis. The hapless Hilarion is trapped by the wilis as he comes to mourn at Giselle's grave and is forced to dance to his death. A remorseful and grieving Albrecht sees Giselle's spirit in the graveyard and, after a sorrowful and loving pas de deux,he too becomes trapped by the wilis...
...real and almost tangible--his acting overshadowed everyone else onstage. He and Ribeiro have been consistently paired together for over a season now, and in this production Armand's maturity and experience definitely helped Ribeiro through both acts. In the second act, whether he was on his knees begging Myrtha to be able to stop dancing or sliding out of six pirouettes onto the floor in exhaustion, Armand's artistry was captivating...
Nadia Thompson was a perfectly spiteful and cruel-looking Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis. Her cold gaze and severe gestures were fitting for the role. Although slightly stiff-looking at times, her jumps were strong and high and the sequence of bourresacross the stage at the beginning of the second act were executed very well. Her shriveling glance that sent Hilarion to his death, and condemned Albrecht to nearly the same fate, could not overcome the purity and gentleness of Giselle's love--the love that, in the end, overcame her own midnight curse...
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