Giselle has been around for 183 years, and while no one is seeing an exact replica of the production that premiered in 1841, the ballet we’ve received is a time capsule of Romantic-era energy and evanescence. It is also remarkably compleat, its two acts presenting a number of oppositions that add up to wholeness: sun and moon, life and death, allegro and adagio. And then there are the supernatural events of Act Two—the Wilis unleashed. This production is the work of Angel Corella, artistic director of the Philadelphia Ballet. According to the balletomanes who trekked to Philly to see its premiere in 2019, it’s an elegant take on the ballet. Here’s just one point made by Corella in an interview at the time: “The symbolic position of the arms of Giselle and the wilis. So many think that arms should be like this [crossed in front of torso, under ribs] as if she is holding a lost baby. Which is ridiculous. The synopsis says nothing about a lost child. The arms should be crossed in front of her chest like she would do in her coffin.” Love it! —Laura Jacobs