A first ‘Giselle,’ shaped one detail at a time

When Giselle realizes Albrecht has betrayed her, something in her gives way. Her gaze turns vacant, her body suspended between movement and stillness. Then she reaches out, as if trying to recover a memory just beyond her grasp. She makes a fleeting leap — and collides with Albrecht with a thud.

In rehearsal, however, Lee Jae-woo is less the betrayer than a guide. As Lee Eun-seo works her way through Giselle’s unraveling, he helps her explore the character’s emotions and refine the smallest gestures, demonstrating movements and patiently repeating them until she finds what she is looking for.

For Lee Eun-seo, 28, the guidance comes at a pivotal moment. Ten years after joining the Korean National Ballet at 18 as its youngest company member, she is preparing to make her debut in a leading role. By her side is principal dancer Lee Jae-woo, a trusted presence on the company’s stage.

The production, running Oct. 13-18 at the Seoul Arts Center, is the first under Kim Joo-won, the star ballerina who became the company’s artistic director in August. Five dancers are debuting in leading roles, bringing fresh interpretations to “Giselle,” the Romantic ballet about love, betrayal and forgiveness.

Lee Eun-seo and Lee Jae-woo will perform together Thursday. During the holidays, the two continued rehearsing. The Korea Herald visited the studio, where Lee Jae-woo was once again walking his partner through the character, gesture by gesture.

Lee Eun-seo had a simple description of her partner: “He’s more Giselle than I am.”

“He stops me, has me start again and points out another detail that isn’t quite right,” she said.

For Lee Jae-woo, the work goes well beyond correcting steps. He knows how daunting “Giselle” can be for a first-time performer. Remembering the nerves of his own debut, he wants to help his partner find her footing.

Consider the moment when Giselle hears Albrecht knock and rushes out to meet him. It is a brief scene, but Lee Jae-woo sees it as an opportunity to establish the character’s entire personality.

“She’s excited and curious about who might be at the door,” he said. “I see Giselle as a naturally cheerful girl who loves to dance but has grown more subdued because of her heart condition. She lives in a quiet village where not much happens, so when someone knocks, she gets so excited that she forgets she’s ill and rushes out to see who it is.”

To convey that sudden burst of excitement, he explained, the energy must be there from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. They spent an entire day rehearsing that opening scene.

Technically, “Giselle” is not particularly difficult, Lee Jae-woo said. The real challenge is capturing the atmosphere of romantic ballet, in which mime, gesture and expression carry much of the story.

“You have to think about everything, especially the overall atmosphere,” he said. “That means imagining the details: What language would the character speak — Korean or French? How would they speak? Even though there are no spoken lines, you have to imagine the dialogue and how the characters would deliver it.”

Preparing for the role has also changed her understanding of the heroine. She had thought of Giselle as a fragile country girl who loved dancing. Working through the character has revealed a more complicated woman.

“There is a strength in her, too — a determination to hold on to what matters to her.”

Lee Jae-woo, meanwhile, has developed his own interpretation of Albrecht, whose sincerity remains open to debate. Does he truly love Giselle but behave selfishly, or does he treat her as a passing amusement and regret it only after her death?

The two possibilities are not mutually exclusive, said Lee.

“I think he really did love her, but he was also playing with her feelings. He kept going back to the castle and racing down to see her. I think that is evidence of his love. Whether his actions were right or wrong, I think he genuinely loved her.”