Premiere of the ballet Giselle at the Salle Le Peletier

Background. Giselle, originally titled Giselle, ou les Wilis, is a romantic ballet in two acts. The plot draws inspiration from Heinrich Heine's prose about the Wilis and Victor Hugo's poem "Fantômes." The narrative follows a peasant girl named Giselle and a disguised nobleman, Albrecht, whose love ends in tragedy when his identity is revealed. The ballet was staged by the Paris Opera Ballet, which played host to the heyday of Romantic ballet at the Salle Le Peletier.

Creation and Choreography. The original choreography was created by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. Although Perrot created Grisi's dances, he received no official credit in printed materials such as posters and programs. The role of Giselle was specifically created for Carlotta Grisi as her debut piece for the Paris public. Théophile Gautier, a librettist and critic, recorded his part in the creation of the ballet in an 1841 news article.

Reception and Impact. The premiere caused a sensation, with reviewers proclaiming Giselle the greatest ballet of its time and a successor to La Sylphide. It immediately established Grisi as a star. The ballet generated 6,500 French francs between June and September 1841, twice the amount for the same period in 1839. Gautier praised the performance in act 2 as a "choreographic elegy full of charm and tenderness."