Akram Khan's Giselle

About Akram Khan's Giselle

One of the most celebrated works in contemporary dance, Akram Khan's Giselle takes the foundations of a 19th-century romantic ballet and rebuilds them into something urgently modern. Khan shifts the action away from aristocratic villages and sylvan glades, placing Giselle and her community in a world of industrial labour, migration, and social precarity. The result is a production that carries real emotional weight: a love story inseparable from questions of belonging, exploitation, and survival.

English National Ballet brings this landmark work to the London Coliseum, one of the capital's grandest stages, where the scale of the production can fully breathe. Khan's choreographic language draws on his roots in Kathak alongside his mastery of contemporary dance, woven through a classical ballet framework. The tension between those idioms is part of what makes this Giselle so compelling to watch.

What Sets This Production Apart

Where the original ballet uses the supernatural as spectacle, Khan turns it into something far more unsettling. The Wilis, those vengeful spirits of wronged women, feel less like a fantastical set piece and more like a reckoning. The second act in particular creates a visual and emotional atmosphere that stays with audiences long after they leave the theatre.

The design choices reinforce the production's themes at every turn. Costume and lighting work together to mark the boundary between the living world and whatever lies beyond it, and the score, a reworking of Adolphe Adam's original music, carries both the familiar and the transformed. This is ballet that trusts its audience to feel as well as watch.

Who Should See It

Akram Khan's Giselle is suitable for older children and adults, and works beautifully as an introduction to contemporary dance for anyone who considers themselves a ballet newcomer. The storytelling is physical and visceral enough to hold the attention of audiences who rarely attend dance, while offering plenty for those who know the original work well. The running time is approximately two hours and twenty minutes, making it a substantial evening out rather than a quick drop-in.

Those who respond to theatre that takes political and social themes seriously will find this production particularly rewarding. It never lectures, but it does not shy away from what it means to be vulnerable in an unequal world.

The London Coliseum

The London Coliseum sits on St Martin's Lane in the West End, close to Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross. It is the home of English National Ballet in London and one of the largest theatrical venues in the city, with a capacity that allows productions to be staged on a genuinely epic scale. The auditorium retains much of its Edwardian grandeur, and the sightlines from most parts of the house are excellent. Arriving a little early is worthwhile both to settle in and to take in the building itself.

Booking Tickets

Prices for this production are yet to be confirmed, so checking availability regularly is the best approach as seats are released. For a production of this profile, demand tends to be strong, particularly for weekend performances and those closest to opening night. If you are flexible on date, exploring midweek options can open up a wider choice of seats at various price points.

Stalls and dress circle seats offer an immersive view of the full stage picture, which matters greatly in a work where the use of space and ensemble formations carry so much meaning. Upper circle seats can provide a more panoramic perspective that suits the large-scale choreography. See availability at BritishTheatre.com or check tickadoo for the latest seat options as they become live.