Nashville Ballet gave classical ballet a thrilling new heartbeat this month with Artistic Director and CEO Nick Mullikin’s bold new adaptation of Giselle — his very first full-length ballet. Presented Oct. 2–4 at TPAC’s Polk Theater, the production marked the first time Nashville audiences had seen Giselle on the local stage since 2009.
The reimagined classic kept Adolphe Adam’s iconic score, brought to life by Music Director and Principal Conductor Ming Luke with The Nashville Symphony, but asked a daring contemporary question: what if Giselle‘s famous ending carried the full weight of consequences? In Mullikin’s version, the fate of Albrecht — the nobleman whose deception breaks Giselle’s heart — is altered, with new choreography, refreshed sets and costumes supporting the new dramatic conclusion.
Giselle was danced by Jamie Kopit and Colette Tilinski, with James Lankford and Garritt McCabe as Albrecht. The production was dedicated to the memory of Martha Rivers Ingram, the visionary arts advocate whose leadership and philanthropy helped shape Nashville’s cultural landscape and played an instrumental role in making the Tennessee Performing Arts Center a reality.
“Classical works endure because they give each generation an opportunity to see something different in them,” Mullikin said. A bold debut for Nashville’s ballet — and proof that even a nearly 200-year-old masterpiece can still surprise.
Photo: Nashville Ballet
