English National Ballet: Akram Khan’s Giselle at the Palace Theatre

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor

Book now

English National Ballet - Akram Khan's Giselle

Palace Theatre, Manchester
19-28 October 2023
Date
Time
Session Features
19 Oct 2023
7:30 pm
20 Oct 2023
2:30 pm
20 Oct 2023
7:30 pm
21 Oct 2023
2:30 pm
21 Oct 2023
7:30 pm

See website for more sessions

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

English National Ballet - Akram Khan's Giselle at the Palace Theatre
Image courtesy of Laurent Liotardo.
Book now

Following acclaimed international performances and sold-out shows in New York and Paris last year, Akram Khan returns, with the English National Ballet, to the Palace Theatre Manchester with his powerful reimagining of Giselle.

Khan is well-known for blending Indian kathak dance, contemporary dance and highly visual storytelling. In this vivid and hauntingly beautiful reinterpretation, he catapults the iconic ballet classic into a 21st-century dystopia. Sensational and sensuous, the story of love, redemption and betrayal is shifted to the present day – a world where migrant garment factory workers (the Outcasts) exist within closed industrial factories as the wealthy industrial Landlords watch on, protected by a monolithic wall.

The show has astounded audiences globally since its premiere in 2016 and has been seen, so far, by 140,000 people in 10 different countries and 16 cities around the world. Described as a “stunning reimagining” (The Stage) “danced with ferocious energy and precision” (The Arts Desk), Khan’s Giselle is considered by many to be a contemporary classic.

Packed with Khan’s mesmerising choreography, atmospheric lighting by Mark Henderson and a soaring set by Academy Award winner Tim Yip, the show conjures up a condemned factory and the supernatural spirits that appear in its shadows.

Performed live by the English National Ballet Philharmonic, Vincenzo Lamagna’s menacingly dark and industrial-sounding composition takes inspiration from Adolphe Adam’s original score.

We’re thrilled that the English National Ballet bring Akram Khan’s Giselle back to the Palace Theatre, where it first premiered in 2016. If you haven’t yet seen it, now is your chance. And if you have seen it, surely you’ll want to see it again.

Where to go near English National Ballet: Akram Khan’s Giselle at the Palace Theatre

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Bundobust Brewery

Launched in 2021, the Bundobust Brewery makes modern beer with their vegetarian and vegan food menu in mind.

The glass atrium inside The Refuge
City Centre
Restaurant
The Refuge

The Refuge is a restaurant and bar based at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, specialising in bright, exciting small plates.

Bundobust Oxford Road
Manchester
Restaurant
Bundobust Oxford Road

Bundobust Oxford Road is the latest addition to the ever-growing alt-Indian food chain. Opens spring in the St James Building on Manchester’s Oxford Road.

City Centre
Restaurant
Real Junk Food Project Manchester

Enjoy a gourmet lunch for whatever price you feel and help fight food waste. Real Junk Food Project Manchester has final found a permanent home, ideally located along Oxford Road, and business is booming.

City Centre
Restaurant
Nudo Sushi Box

Nudo Sushi Box on Manchester’s Oxford Road specialises in freshly-prepared boxes of – you guessed it – sushi.

Ditto Coffee Manchester
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Ditto Coffee Manchester

Ditto Coffee is a coffee shop specialising in independent music and speciality coffee. This Manchester coffee shop is the second from the Liverpool-based Ditto Music company.

Gorilla, Whitworth street Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Gorilla

Gorilla is a good choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From a hearty full English to meaty burgers via good vegan and veggie options. It also hosts some of the

City Centre
Bar or Pub
The Temple

Originally called The Temple of Convenience owing to its former life as a public toilet block, this is a tiny bar with some of the finest bathroom graffiti in town.

Dog Bowl bowling alley and restaurant Manchester.
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Dog Bowl

A bar and 10-pin bowling alley combined, Dog Bowl is a neon-lit venue that serves up cocktails and Tex-Mex food to go with your time on the lanes.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Thirsty Scholar

Friendly pub under a railway arch serving vegetarian and vegan pub food, as well as hosting regular live music.

Society Manchester
City Centre
Society Manchester

Society Manchester is a glorious indoor and outdoor space in the very heart of the city, with five street food vendors to choose from and a range of high-quality drinks.

What's on: Dance

Culture Guides

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.