One of the strengths of the ballet Giselle is that dance itself is so entwined with the subject matter. Dancing is the peasant girl Giselle’s great talent and joy, but also the thing that threatens her weak heart. And in the second act, dance is how the wilis, the ghostly spirits of betrayed women, enact their curse on men who cross their path, forced to dance themselves to death. Dance can be pleasure and punishment (something ballet dancers know all about).
