2/9/18 O&A NYC SHALL WE DANCE FRIDAY: Giselle’s Mad Scene- Virginia Johnson and the Dance Theatre of Harlem

Dance Theatre of Harlem presented the Creole Giselle in 1987 the world transported the classic ballet from the medieval Rhineland to the Louisiana bayous of the 19th century. In this production the cast includes Virginia Johnson- Giselle, Eddie Shellman- Albrecht and Thera Ward- Bathilde.

Virginia Johnson was a happy Giselle, who danced as if swept along by the sheer thrill of being in love. For instance, her hops on pointe in her first-act solo were not simply technical tricks; they were expressions of joy. Because Ms. Johnson looked vulnerable as well as happy, we in the audience watched her artlessness with a sort of horror, for we knew the truth about the man she loved. When Ms. Johnson’s Giselle also learned the truth, she appeared to shatter before our eyes in the mad scene.- Jack Anderson N.Y. Times Published: March 14, 1987. 

Giselle’s Mad Scene Virginia Johnson

 

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