Ballet review: Madness, love and death by dance: Giselle by Varna International Ballet and Orchestra at Blackpool Grand

Founded in 1947, the Varna International Ballet visited to the UK for the very first time and they brought this haunting ghost tale to life, with glossy production and a magical performance that transported the viewer to a far-away place.

From the opening scenes that show simple village folk gathering their harvest, to the eerie moonlit forest finale, it’s an unforgettable production that runs the gamut of emotions – with romance, revenge, sorrow...and old fashioned superstition.

Giselle’s mother, Berthe, played by Gergana Karaivanova, warns little Giselle that if she doesn’t stop dancing then she may die – and end up joining the ‘Wilis’ – the spirits of bethrothed girls who have died before their wedding day.

And any man who is haunted by these spirits is doomed to dance until he dies.

And when her heart is broken by Count Albrecht (Marco Di Salvo), she kills herself and the Wilis seek vengeance on the aristocrat.

Claire Gillard is spectacular as the fragile Giselle, dancing with a vulnerability and such range of emotions that brings the audience along with her.

The pas de deux between the two principal dancers is breathtaking with such symbiosis they seem to move as one.

Otherworldly lights and fairies flicker on a LED screen, setting the graveyard scene for Act II. The corps de ballet assembles for the dance of the Wilis – a mesmerizing scene as around 16 dancers dressed in irridescent romantic tutus flock across the stage with an eerie calm and expressionless faces as they seek revenge the Count.

It is all danced to the poignant score by French composer Adolphe Adam – played live by the Varna international orchestra led by chief conductor Peter Tuleshkov.

The annual ballet at Blackpool Grand is always a wonderful treat – the last few I’ve attended have been performed by the Russian State Ballet of Siberia, but this Bulgarian company are every bit as magnificent. They also ran performances of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker in the resort.