B

allet history began in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th and 16th centuries as a dance interpretation of fencing. It quickly spread to the French court of Catherine de’ Medici where it was developed even further. The creation of classical ballet as we know it today occurred under Louis XIV, who in his youth was himself an avid dancer and performed in ballets by Pierre Beauchamp and Jean-Baptiste Lully.

In 1661 Louis founded the Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Dance Academy) which was charged with establishing standards for the art of dance and the certification of dance instructors. In 1672, following his retirement from the stage, Louis XIV made Lully the director of the Académie Royale de Musique (Paris Opera) from which the first professional ballet company, the Paris Opera Ballet, emerged.

This origin is reflected in the predominance of French in the vocabulary of ballet. Despite the great reforms of Jean-Georges Noverre in the eighteenth century, ballet went into decline in France after 1830, though it continued in Denmark, Italy and Russia. It was reintroduced to Western Europe on the eve of the First World War by a Russian company: the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, who came to be influential around the world. Diaghilev’s company came to be a destination for many of the Russian trained dancers fleeing the famine and unrest that followed the Bolshevik revolution. Many choreographic and stylistic innovations are brought by these dancers. These innovations had flourished under the Russian czars. In a rare international appearance, the world renowned Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris (Paris Opera Ballet) makes its way to Singapore for the very first time with their beloved classic Giselle.

Taking place at the Esplanade Theatre on Jan. 19-21, 2012, the performance will delight you at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and will be performed twice on Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

First performed in 1841, Giselle is one of the Paris Opera Ballet’s greatest creations and a jewel of French ballet. It is the ultimate Romantic ballet of innocence, betrayal and the redemptive power of true love.

The two-act masterpiece follows the journey of Giselle, an innocent village girl whose life of idyllic optimism is shattered by the handsome Duke Albrecht. Made to suffer a tragic fate born out of the Duke’s deceit, the spirit of Giselle nevertheless returns from beyond to save him with the strength of her love.

The passion and melancholy of the tale together with the beauty of its choreography has created an eternal allure in Giselle for newcomers to ballet as well as to those already under its spell.

With origins tracing back to 1661 during the reign of King Louis XIV of France, the Paris Opera Ballet is considered to be the birthplace of classical ballet. Nearly two centuries on, their tradition of perfection and purity makes them one of the world’s finest ensembles of our time.

This performance features live orchestral accompaniment by the Singapore Lyric Orchestra. Sales of tickets to the two-hour performance opened on Sep.1, 2011. Ticket prices include a booking fee and vary from S$60 to $120, $160 and $200.

So don’t miss this ballet event of 2012. “For those who live for ballet virtuosity, this is the work and company to see,” The New York Times.