Description

The Greek National Opera Ballet presents on GNO TV a new, classical production of Giselle, the Romantic ballet set to Adolphe Adam’s enchanting music. Marius Petipa’s timeless choreography is revived by distinguished choreographers Verónica Villar and Elena Iglesias.

Giselle is a cornerstone of the ballet repertoire. The title role has been described as “the Hamlet of ballet”, serving both as a formidable challenge and as a defining milestone for a classical ballerina. From its first presentation at the Paris Opéra in 1841 to this day, Giselle continues to captivate and move audiences across the globe. Petipa’s classical choreography preserves its freshness intact, exploring human frailty, betrayal, and the mourning that can only be overcome through selfless love—a love that transcends death, protecting and nurturing life itself.

The story of Giselle begins to unfold when Count Albrecht presents himself to the young peasant girl Giselle as a simple villager, and she innocently falls in love with him. When she discovers both his true identity and that he is betrothed to another woman, she loses her sanity and takes her own life. Deep in the forest, beneath the light of the full moon, the spirits of maidens betrayed by their lovers—the Wilis—return on their wedding night seeking revenge, transformed into ethereal beings. Every man who crosses their path must dance with them until he collapses lifeless. The repentant Albrecht is drawn into their deadly calling, but Giselle intervenes in his all-night ordeal, sustaining him until dawn, when the Wilis’ power wanes. She forgives him and returns to her eternal existence as a spirit, leaving him inconsolable.

The funding body of the project is the Ministry of Culture, within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan "Greece 2.0" with funding from the European Union - NextGeneration EU.



The recording of the production took place at Stavros Niarchos Hall of the Greek National Opera – SNFCC on December 19 and 21, 2025.

Creative team – Cast

Choreography revival, adaptation: Verónica Villar, Elena Iglesias, based on Marius Petipa’s original choreography (according to Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot)

Conductor: José Salazar
Sets, costumes: Dido Gogkou
Lighting: Eleftheria Deko

Giselle
Elisabeth Tonev 

Count Albrecht
Julian MacKay 

Hilarion
Vangelis Bikos

Wilfred
Yannis Benetos 

Berthe
Emilia Gaspari

The Duke of Courland
Igor Siadzko

Bathilde
Christina Makridou

Peasant pas de deux
Angelos Antoniou - Marita Nikolitsa
Manex Alberdi - Cecilia Hatziemmanouil
Stefano Pietragalla - Areti Noti
Yorgos Hatzopoulos - Carla Ruiz García

Giselle’s friends
Anna Frangou, Olga Markari, Marita Nikolitsa, Areti Noti, Eleftheria Stamou, Zoi Schoinoplokaki

Peasants
Maria Elpida Vassilopoulou, Maria Pichler-Gaspari, Georgia Dimou, Magda Koukou-Ferra, Nefeli Dali, Despina Chrysostomou
Manex Alberdi, Angelos Antoniou, Yannis Gantsios, Yannis Mitrakis, Daniele Pecorari, Stefano Pietragalla, Yorgos Hatzopoulos

Hunters
Blendi Latifi - Vicky Tsiroyanni, Esmeraldo Bitro - Vicky Bourcha, Hector Bollano - Mania Karavassili,  Nikos Moschis - Cleopatra Aneroussou

Elderly peasants
Florian-Michalis Pappas, Dimitris Ferras, Despina Bisbiki, Ilir Sipri, Evi Karpouzi

Kids
Despina Christopoulou, Ekaterini Dousikou, Nefeli Kollia, Alexandra Konstantinidi, Phaedra Kourli, Margarita Linchour, Anna Nathanael, Theseus Miligkos- Kontarinis, Athanasios Pappas, Melina Spiliopoulou, Alexandra Tartara, Sophia Tsiroyanni, Nafsika Mio Vratsanou

Myrtha
Olga Markari

Moyna
Anna Frangou, Carla Ruiz García, Eleftheria Stamou

Zulma
Carla Ruiz García, Areti Noti, Cecilia Hatziemmanouil

Willis
Anna Frangou, Maria Elpida Vassilopoulou, Maria Pichler-Gaspari, Katerina Devetzi, Georgia Dimou, Lydia Kapouni, Magda Koukou-Ferra, Olga Markari, Fotini Mouchtouri, Sophia Nikolaou, Marita Nikolitsa, Nefeli Dali, Areti Noti, Alexandra Spanou, Eleftheria Stamou, Zoi Schoinoplokaki, Cecilia Hatziemmanouil, Despina Chrysostomou

With the Orchestra and students of the Greek National Opera Professional Dance School