My first opera teacher was an undeniable genius. Like many wise scholars, he refused to give a definite opinion on the superiority of or his preference for any single composer or musical work. However, if you mentioned ballet, he was quick to respond that “Giselle” was his favorite.

“Giselle” is one of the standard classical ballets. While not as recognizable by name as “Swan Lake,” it has been a staple of the classic repertoire for centuries. Any ballet aficionado is familiar with the tragic tale of the titular German peasant girl who loses her heart, her mind, and ultimately her life when a handsome young prince pledges his love while disguised as a commoner. In Act 2, the rustic village gives way to an ethereal forest clearing, where the spirits of maidens—called the “Willis”—who died before their wedding come back by night to dance and seek vengeance on any unsuspecting male who wanders into the woods. This provides an opportunity for the classic “ballet blanc,” a group of synchronized ballerinas in long white tulle skirts, which was so popular at the time.

“Giselle” is one of the simplest of the classical ballets, with only four solo dancing characters in the original conception, although its execution is far from simple. Thus, it provides an excellent challenge to dance schools and smaller ballet companies. For instance, I went to see Long Beach Ballet’s one-night-only performance of “Giselle” at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on March 7. This production demonstrated the rewards of tenacity and serious study in the difficult performing arts business today.

About Long Beach Ballet

Before delving into this performance, let’s consider the history of Long Beach Ballet. Southern California has always been a tenuous environment for professional ballet companies. While the East Coast and even San Francisco can boast companies that have thrived for decades, the Golden State’s lower half has a confusing track record of companies that have gone back and forth between being professional groups and schools. It’s a time-honored tradition for professional companies to have accompanying schools, since they provide much-needed revenue, built-in youngsters for the annual “Nutcracker” production, and an automatic feeder program of new talent. During tough economic times, many companies have had to scale back to just the school, since the costs of employing a whole troupe of professional dancers for nine months a year is significant.

Long Beach Ballet is one of the oldest existing ballet companies in Southern California today, with roots reaching back to 1956 when Audrey Share started Southern California’s first Royal Academy of Dance ballet school in Long Beach. Six years later, Yvonne Cusack started another Royal Academy school in Monterey Park, whose pianist, Gerie Wilcox, had a son named David. David Wilcox began dancing at both schools at age 11 and ended up taking over the Long Beach school with his wife, Linda Gonzales, a fellow ballet dancer, in 1981. With the support of two ballet lovers, Art and Lynn Chenen, David and Linda renamed the Audrey Share school the Ballet Arts Center of Southern California. The next year, they founded Long Beach Ballet as an affiliated professional company. Under their leadership, Long Beach Ballet grew to become Southern California’s largest-ever ballet company for 15 years. In 1998, the professional company ceased operations as the school’s pre-professional regional troupe, Long Beach Ballet Theatre, took off.

Today, Long Beach Ballet remains dedicated to training passionate young dancers for the professional level, which includes giving them the opportunity to perform in professional-level ballet productions. These productions include at least one summer show, usually in June, and a grand production of “The Nutcracker” at the renowned Terrace Theater at Christmastime. This past December, the company’s 42nd annual production of this holiday tradition sold 15,000 tickets, a highly impressive figure in a state where there is a different “Nutcracker” production on every block!

Reviewing ‘Giselle’

According to artistic director David Wilcox, this is the first time the company has presented “Giselle,” and this production, intended mainly to highlight his senior students, was smaller than most: It drew from just the top four levels of the school, including 63 students instead of the usual 260 participants of their June shows! This was my first introduction to Long Beach Ballet, and the size of this production was staggering to me. Few companies in this area can command such numbers onstage, including students and professional dancers alike.

When schools present Broadway musicals, they typically do the “Junior” version, with simplified music and minimal sets. Although the cast of “Giselle” was predominantly students, this certainly was not the ballet’s Junior version! The choreography was based directly on the Royal Ballet’s version, a common practice for standard ballets. The costumes were high-quality and elaborate. The setting was beautiful and very realistic. Instead of the cheaper modern trend of using projected backgrounds, this production used beautiful hand-painted backdrops to evoke a Germanic village in Act I and a haunted forest in Act 2, aided by realistic set pieces including cottage facades and a large tombstone.

The technical level of the young dancers in this company was very high. I was impressed by their accuracy and synchronization in performing difficult dance moves. As one of the older classical ballets, “Giselle” is quite long and dance-heavy, so it has the danger of growing stagnant. The production cleverly kept the performance engaging by having different groups of dancers in varying costumes perform different dances. The 63 students were supplemented by two professional ballet men, who played Giselle’s two suitors. The leading man, Prince Albrecht, was played by Tate Lee, a former company member of Los Angeles Ballet who now has an active freelance career and frequently guests with Long Beach Ballet. His rival, peasant Hilarion, was played by Stephen Kessler, formerly of Utah Metropolitan Ballet. Both men brought a high level of professional polish and drama to the stage. I especially enjoyed the performance of the mature dancer playing Giselle’s mother, who executed the most complete pantomime sequence about the legend of the Willis I’ve ever seen.

More From Long Beach Ballet

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this production. After all, it’s no easy feat to put on a ballet like “Giselle” with a cast of mostly students, including the two lead female roles. The 17-year-old dancer playing Giselle, Maeve Callahan, did not shy away from the difficulty of the role. From the carefree peasant jubilee at the opening to the tragic mad scene at the end of Act 1 through the ghostly stoicism of Act 2, she threw herself into every aspect of the title role. Her technique is excellent, and her dedication to her skill is unmistakable. The 16-year-old ballerina who played the ghostly Queen Myrtha, Elizabeth Stone, was very impressive in the role, which requires a lot of demanding jumps.

The only thing that lessened the believability of the story for me was Maeve’s youthful appearance. The young lady is very petite, so she appears far younger than her actual age onstage, especially in comparison to the tall, broad-shouldered Tate. In some ways, it made her dancing even more impressive, since she looked like a younger girl. In Act 2, with her hair in a bun and the sad expression of a Willi, she looked much more mature than in Act 1, with her happier air and flowing hair. Nevertheless, she is an excellent dancer who I’m sure will have an exciting professional career if she chooses to.

I look forward to seeing more of Long Beach Ballet’s projects in the coming months. They have many exciting events coming up. On March 30 at 6 p.m., they’re hosting their 2nd Annual Fundraiser Gala aboard the Queen Mary, “Swing it Up!” The Jazz Age theme will be complemented by the music of Alex Mendham and His Orchestra, arguably the most renowned swing band today. A full-hosted bar, gourmet dinner, auction, and performances by Long Beach Ballet will make it an unforgettable evening. Proceeds from this glamorous fundraiser will go toward their next mainstage production, “Coppelia,” which will be performed in June. Visit the Long Beach Ballet website to find out more about how this company is keeping the beautiful art form of ballet alive while training future generations of performers.