Giselle @ Norwich Theatre Royal

So, I’m here at the Theatre Royal to see The Russian State Ballet of Siberia perform the ballet Giselle. Now what do we know about Siberia, kids? It’s snowy. That’s about all I know. Forgive my ignorance. What I’m not ignorant about, however, is the story of Giselle, which I rather cleverly read ahead of time.

So here’s the deal. Two guys fancy a girl. One of them is a forester and looks a bit like Dawson out of Dawson’s Creek. One of them is actually a fancy duke pretending to be a peasant who looks a bit like a young David Bowie. The girl fancies the fancy one the most but when she finds out he’s already engaged to a posh lady she gets so upset she dies (she also has a pre-existing heart condition, but that’s not so romantic). Both guys are gutted, especially when they realise she’s been initiated into the Wilis’ gang (fnar), namely lady-ghosts who have had bad experience in the love zone and now float about in the forest being gracefully menacing. The girl manages to keep the fancy guy alive through the night, but then she is forever tied to the Wilis. Very sad.

This classical ballet was first performed in 1841 when people were well into ballets about sylph-like ladies in the woods, so it hit the nail on the head in Gay Paris back in the day.

The theatre is packed to the brim here 175 years since the ballet was first premiered, which is most excellent. Don’t you just love a red velvet curtain by the way? It promises everything that’s magical and mysterious. The Russian State Orchestra of Siberia are on form tonight, and there’s nothing like a live accompaniment to a ballet; it just makes it all the more special. They’re a small band of players but do the performers proper justice. The music’s quite dainty and doesn’t have the full force of a Tchaikovsky ballet score, for example, but it rolls along nicely.

Set-wise it’s very simple, just a woodland background with a castle, and there are hardly any props. It feels at times as though the dancers are probably used to a bigger stage; on occasion they almost collide, and it does seem a little rammed when there are 15 people dancing at once, but no calamities ensue so it’s all good.

The story is pretty complex, particularly in the first act, and the dancers tell it well using facial expressions and beautifully elegant gestures. There’s a large band of peasant ladies, dressed in pretty, colourful outfits who never stop gesticulating and commenting using their arms. Just amazing interpretative work. The star of the show for me has to be Giselle herself, played by Ekaterina Bulgutova, who never puts a single step wrong all night and makes us truly believe in her various emotional states. I also enjoy Yury Kudryavtsev’s role as her favourite fancy suitor – the Thin White Duke dressed in black velvet and a cape, and looking for all the world like the son of Liberace and Darth Vader. He gives it his all, and I love the holds and lifts he does with such strength with Giselle in the second act. Hans, the other suitor also does a fine job, jete-ing with agility, confidence and a pair of muscular thighs.

The second act is more about the pas de deux between the girl and her two admirers, and this is where the beauty of this ballet really comes to life. The ballerinas, in white bridal net dress, are solemn-faced and grim in their dancing, a marked contrast to the jolly and playful nature of their performances in the first act. It’s kinda spooky, kinda sad and kinda strong, all led by Myrtha, the Wilis queen, who’s terrifyingly stern and which is reflected in her dancing style. Kicking both suitors to the kerb by merely turning away from them, the Wilis move en masse to maintain their force within their kingdom, the forest. This is a dance version of sisters before misters, and while that power is immense, it's also incredibly sad and heartbreaking.

It’s a tragic tale, about love and damaging heart conditions of all kinds, but also beautiful and intangible. There was a real Russian flavour to this particular performance, and I felt transported out of Norwich and to Giselle’s world, to the extent that on the way home my friend and I attempted some of the ‘moves’ we had just seen, rather like when I watched The Matrix at the Hollywood and tried to run up a wall when I left. . Those moves were all IMPOSSIBLE. As much as I am a big fan of Matthew Bourne's ballets, it was delightful to enjoy some classical ballet laid simply before me, with a timeless tale to tell.

So, nice one The Russian State Ballet of Siberia. Loved it. Where’s my tutu at, yo?