akram khan giselle review

Akram Khan’s Giselle is widely regarded as a dark, urgent and visually stunning reimagining of the classic ballet, praised for its emotional impact and powerful storytelling, though a minority of critics find some of its dramaturgy and characterisation uneven. It has become one of English National Ballet’s major signature works and continues to be revived to strong audience and critical response, including new reviews in 2026.

What the production is about

• The story relocates Giselle from a medieval village to a contemporary world of “Outcasts”, migrant factory workers shut out by a towering wall, with Albrecht belonging to the wealthy “Landlords”.

• Themes of love, betrayal, class injustice and revenge are retained, but sharpened into a commentary on modern inequality, exclusion and displaced people.

Choreography and movement style

• Khan fuses his own contemporary and kathak-inspired vocabulary with classical ballet, creating intense spirals, contractions and quick, intricate footwork over classical lines.

• Critics highlight Act II’s Wilis: a frightening “ghost army” of women bourréeing en pointe in stabbing, percussive patterns, wielding canes and moving in harsh horizontal ranks rather than Romantic floatiness.

• Pointe work is used for dramatic attack more than ethereal prettiness, giving the supernatural scenes a brutal, almost cinematic edge.

Design, music and atmosphere

• Tim Yip’s industrial set and simple, textured costumes replace tutus and tights with workwear-like garments, so “the language is the movement itself.”

• The looming wall dominates the stage, reinforcing the class divide and sense of trapped communities on both sides.

• Vincenzo Lamagna’s score, arranged for orchestra, takes motifs from Adolphe Adam and transforms them into a dark, driving, almost filmic sound world that underlines the production’s intensity.

Critical reception: praise and reservations

• Many reviewers describe the production as “epic”, “sheer perfection” and a landmark 21st‑century Giselle , citing its emotional clarity and immersive theatricality.

• Admirers single out the women’s ensemble in Act II, the ferocity of the group scenes, and the way the choreography makes character relationships legible without needing prior knowledge of the original ballet.

• Some critics, however, argue that compressing the narrative and altering character dynamics (for example, making Hilarion closer in status to Albrecht and softening the clarity of Giselle’s death) blurs motivations and reduces psychological depth.

2020s context and ongoing impact

• Since its 2016 premiere, Akram Khan’s Giselle has toured internationally and is frequently cited as one of ENB’s defining works of the last decade.

• New features and think‑pieces published in 2026 emphasise how the ballet’s focus on migrants, borders and structural injustice feels even more topical in the current global climate.

TL;DR: If you want a traditional Romantic Giselle , this is a radical, sometimes abrasive departure; if you are open to a high‑impact, politically charged reinterpretation with striking choreography and design, Akram Khan’s Giselle is considered essential viewing.

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