One of the jewels in the Washington Ballet repertory, Giselle is a haunting exploration of young love in all its brightness and its eventual tragedy. Featuring some of the most challenging virtuoso roles for dancers to tackle, Marius Petipa's exquistive choreography is supplemented by that of Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. Directed by Victor Barbee and Julie Kent, the enchanting score by Adolphe Adam is performed live by The Washington Ballet Orchestra and conducted by Charles Barker.

Giselle, a beautiful and gentle peasant girl is pursued by Duke Albrecht, who is disguised as a peasant himself; he finds himself a rival for her affections however in the form of Hilarion, a fellow villager who is suspicious of him. He has good reason to be distrustful; Albrecht is betrothed to marry another. This comes to light during a brawl between her two suitors, during which she dies of a heart attack.

Giselle joins a group of ghostly brides, who all perished before being married to their loves; Albrecht is devastated and tries to kill himself; can Giselle's spirit and enduring love save him?