Akram Khan's Giselle

• Marking its 10th anniversary in 2026, Akram Khan’s Giselle returns to the London Coliseum, hailed as a 'masterpiece of 21st-century dance'.

• A haunting reimagining: Outcasts, Landlords, betrayal, and vengeful Wilis, all told through Khan’s bold fusion of ballet and Indian dance.

• Academy Award-winner Tim Yip’s towering set and Mark Henderson’s moody lighting transform the stage into a ghostly factory world steeped in shadows.

• Vincenzo Lamagna’s visceral score, adapted from Adolphe Adam, reverberates live with the English National Ballet Philharmonic’s powerful performance.

• From its striking opening wall to its devastating finale, Khan’s Giselle is more than a ballet; it’s an electrifying, unforgettable experience.

The story

Set in a dystopian world of migrant workers and divided classes, Giselle is a woman betrayed by the man she trusted and left behind by a system that sees her as disposable. Even death does not free her from these societal grievances, and the scorned Giselle finds herself returning, guided by the ghostly Wilis, to confront the man who wronged her and the forces that failed her. A heartbreaking and haunting narrative, this ballet is underscored by powerful themes of vengeance and, ultimately, the choices we're left with in an unjust world. This Giselle pulses with anger, grief, and tenderness, transforming the traditional ballet into a modern fable of power, resilience, and love beyond death.