Shanghai Ballet returns to United States with ‘Giselle’ Nov. 5 at Penn State

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Shanghai Ballet, led by Artistic Director Xin Lili, returns to North America for the first time in more than five years with “Giselle” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Since its 1841 premiere, “Giselle” is revered as one of the most beloved story ballets in the classical canon with its haunting tale of love, betrayal and grief. Shanghai Ballet’s interpretation highlights the company’s hallmarks: pristine technique, unified ensemble work and emotionally vivid storytelling.

Visit Shanghai Ballet online or call 814-863-0255 for more information and to purchase tickets.

The Center for the Performing Arts and the Arts Ticket Center are parts of the Penn State College of Arts & Architecture.

Founded in 1979, Shanghai Ballet, one of China’s leading ballet companies, is celebrated for its performances that blend classical ballet with distinctive Chinese artistry.

Under the artistic directorship of the former principal dancer, “the company has expanded its repertoire significantly to include most of the standard 19th-century European ballets, as well as new works inspired by China’s folklore and literature, with fewer political overtones,” wrote a reporter for the Ottawa Citizen. “When you think about it, so many Chinese tales involve lost loves and vengeful ghosts that Giselle is perfectly authentic.”

Sensory-friendly venue

Eisenhower Auditorium is certified by KultureCity as a sensory-friendly venue. One goal of the Center for the Performing Arts is to offer everyone an opportunity to enjoy an event, regardless of a guest’s invisible neurodisabilities, such as dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and autism.

Guests are welcome to visit a designated quiet space on the lounge level, or sign out a variety of items to help self-regulate, including noise-reducing earmuffs, anti-strobe glasses, lap pads and carefully curated sensory tools. The KultureCity app helps reduce uncertainty by providing pre-visit social stories, so guests know what to expect.

Read about the KultureCity certification.

Prepare for your arrival with a pre-visit social story.

Click for available accessibility services.

Acknowledgments

Support is provided by the Debra Lee Latta and Dr. Stanley E. Latta Endowment and the Penn State International Dance Ensemble Endowment

A grant from the University Park Fee Board makes student prices possible.

Accessibility services are provided by Sidney and Helen S. Friedman Endowment.

Find us

The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, a unit of the College of Art and Architecture, aspires to create connected, sustainable and equitable communities, where everyone experiences joy, belonging and creativity.

For more information about the season, visit the Center for the Performing Arts online, Facebook and Instagram.