How was the Ballet production of Giselle modernised for a modern day contemporary audience?

Mats Ek’s production was modernised for a new audience in the dance world from the Ballet production of Giselle because the plot and themes of both productions show different contextual influences that were created around each time of both the performances. For example, the contemporary production of Giselle shows the mental institution that Giselle goes into instead of death (her killing herself). 
This is because of the political influence from Sweden in 1980 of the mental health care system change. Mats Ek decided he wanted to show that the change in the system is creating more and more ill negative patients instead of the positive patients that were getting better before the system had changed for the worst. However, in the Ballet production of Giselle, she kills herself and is seen as a spirit. This is connected to the supernatural theme that people believed in that era of time period. In the time period of the Ballet production of Giselle, the audience that went to watch that, believed in the supernatural of trap doors, flying characters and seeing spirits/ghosts. Therefore, after Giselle had died, she turned in to a spirit and was dancing around with Count Albrecht as a ghost. People don’t really believe in the supernatural now so instead of the theme ‘death’ and spirits; Giselle went into a mental institution which was happening in Sweden in 1980 when the piece was created. That is how the theme and plot of the contemporary Giselle has been modernised for the new dance audience.
       The costumes in the Contemporary production of Giselle have been modernised because in the Ballet production; Giselle and the Wilis wore white Belle Tutu’s which were the social aspect of a romantic ballet where as in contemporary there is no such thing as a tutu. Belle tutus are not an aspect of our modern day clothes so Mats Ek decided to dress Giselle in the modern day clothes that exist now - for example, a pink feminine skirt with a jumper and when Giselle goes in to the mental institution her costume changes again to a white tunic with white leggings and a head bandage. This represents a modern day change because the Belle tutu’s were no longer wore and now it is just casual wear. However, the colour white is still used when Giselle goes in to the mental institution as she still is pure and not married (the same as in the Ballet production when she dies – wearing a white Belle Tutu). Count Albrecht and Hilarion’s costume is also very different to the Ballet production. In the Ballet production, Count Albrecht has a jacket with a belt that is very rustic. He also has a shirt underneath with long johns on when he is disguised as a peasant. When Count Albrecht is found out to be a royal instead of a peasant; he is carrying a sword. In that era, only rich important people carried swords in them days. In the contemporary version of Giselle, Count Albrecht wears a white suit that is buttoned up. A white suit is considered to be posh and expensive in these days. Also, Mats Ek decided that he was going to get the dancers to wear bare feet. This influence came from the background of modern dance from principal dancers such as Martha Graham, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Dennis, Isadora Duncan. These all rebelled against the rules of Ballet to make a new dance style called Modern dance. They didn’t wear shoes when dancing and cut their tutus/dresses above their ankles; this was recognised as disgusting and rebellious against the traditions. These principal dancers influenced Mats Ek in his production and choreography.

     The staging of Giselle has been modernised as well. This is because in the Ballet production of Giselle, the opening scene has barrels of beer, piles of wood, an old thatched house, and plant pots on stage. Whilst the backdrop is in the woods which is very dark. However, in the modernised contemporary production of Giselle, the backdrop is very bright scenery of the hilltops.

     These are all reasons how the Ballet version has been modernised for a modern day audience like today into a contemporary production.