English National Ballet Akram Khan’s Giselle
Play Trailer
The iconic ballet, reimagined.
Following acclaimed performances around the world, and sold-out shows in Manchester and Bristol in 2023, Akram Khan’s Giselle returns to Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London for the first time in five years.
As the curtain rises, dancers in shadow push against a forbidding wall. From that moment on, this ground-breaking production stuns with powerful images.
Mesmerising choreography, atmospheric lighting by Mark Henderson and a towering set by Academy Award-winner Tim Yip conjure up a condemned factory and the vengeful ghosts that appear in its shadows.
The ominous score by Vincenzo Lamagna – adapted from the original by Adolphe Adam and performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic – intensifies the story’s emotional impact.
See the greatest romantic ballet and its story of love, betrayal, and redemption, boldly reimagined.
Find out more about Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Akram Khan here.
Never seen Giselle before? Read the synopsis here (spoilers within).
Header image © Laurent Liotardo
Audio Described Performances
There are a limited number of Stalls seats reserved for partially sighted patrons, and headsets available for those wishing to listen to the audio description, please email tickets@sadlerswells.com if you wish to book these optionsTouch Tour
To accompany the Audio Described performance, visually impaired patrons can go on a Touch Tour before the performance. Your tour guide will take you backstage, or onto the stage itself, to feel costumes and pieces of the set and learn more about the production. To find out touch tour times, please contact our Ticket Office at tickets@sadlerswells.com or by calling 020 7863 8000.It may well rank as a masterpiece of 21st century danceTHE MAIL ON SUNDAY
Ghostly reimagining is a triumph of pure stagecraft★★★★★ EVENING STANDARD
English National Ballet dance this Giselle with total conviction, from Rojo’s stubborn heroine to the driven, driving corps de ballet.★★★★★ INDEPENDENT
From the opening second of Khan’s vital and visceral reworking, the audience is riveted in their seats and ravished mind, body and soul.★★★★★ THE DAILY EXPRESS
Play trailer
Audience reactions to Akram Khan’s Giselle
“By far the most beautiful and powerful experience I’ve ever had in a theater.”
“Mesmerising, raw, incredibly powerful, with a ferocious tribal energy, great sadness, tenderness, love.”
“Akram Khan’s Giselle in one word… breathtaking! I have never seen an audience so transfixed.”
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Performances
Touch Tour begins at 12:45pm
Audio Described Performances
There are a limited number of Stalls seats reserved for partially sighted patrons, and headsets available for those wishing to listen to the audio description, please email tickets@sadlerswells.com if you wish to book these optionsTouch Tour
To accompany the Audio Described performance, visually impaired patrons can go on a Touch Tour before the performance. Your tour guide will take you backstage, or onto the stage itself, to feel costumes and pieces of the set and learn more about the production. To find out touch tour times, please contact our Ticket Office at tickets@sadlerswells.com or by calling 020 7863 8000.
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