Yesterday I attended the English National Ballet performance of Akram Khans rendition of Giselle.
It was their final day, and I saw the matinee at 2 pm. I know the original ballet and have seen it at The Royal Opera House. I was mesmerised by the set and the striking choreography.
I especially connected with the reworked storyline. It was set in a factory. The themes about workplace atrocities were strong. The Willis, who are ghost-like characters, were portrayed as the ghosts of workers harmed by their workplaces. This was instead of the original, where they were the spirits of women wronged by their betrothed.
The reworked story resonated with me. It empowered me to continue creating art about how people struggle with workplace relationships and power dynamics. It is indeed OK to show that struggles occur amid toxic work environments. They occur because of the wrangling within their organisation.
The reworking of the Giselle story encouraged me. It showed that creating artworks based on something quite commercial and industrial is not that new and is very possible. Art can highlight the ugly side of human behaviours well while still being portrayed beautifully through art.
If you would like to see the art I created for a home office bookshelf in this vein, you can find it in my shop. The art reflects this style. These nod to the cultural complexities in workplaces. Please click this button to find them in my shop.
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