Grace Vincent
Giselle (2022)
My short film takes inspiration from the iconic ballet Giselle, the tragic, romantic story of a beautiful young peasant girl who falls for the flirations of a deceitful nobleman and dances to her death. Adolphe Adam's score, The Apparition of Giselle, marks Giselle's initiation into the afterlife as Willi, the spirits of women who have been betrayed by their lovers. My experience as a classically trained ballet dancer urges me to reflect how these stories have shaped my idea of femininity and the possibilities in m future. Female characters in ballet, including Giselle, are often perceived on a rigid binary of fragile and weak or evil and manipulative. I want to expand the movement vocabulary of traditional ballet. Using ethereal and abstract forms, I highlight Giselle's discovery of self and her otherworldly capacity to be. This project is a challenge to myself to "undo" my tendency towards discipline and control, both qualities ingrained in me through classical dance training. I've allowed myself to embrace more chaos and improvisation in the process of making this film.
