BANGOR – The Bossov Ballet Theatre of Pittsfield will perform “Giselle,” a circa 1841 ballet that defines ballet’s Romantic era at 7 p.m. Friday, July 23, at the Waterville Opera House, and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at the Bangor Opera House.

“Giselle,” like “Cinderella,” is the story of a vivacious peasant girl who captures the heart of a young duke. Love blooms, but for Giselle, life is to be more complicated than fitting her foot into a glass slipper and going off to be married.

The young duke has won Giselle’s heart by disguising himself as a peasant lad, which leads to high drama, all as background for the beautiful, mystic and powerful, Act Two, the defining episode of the ballet.

The creators of “Giselle” chose for their choreographic and dramatic centerpiece an ancient myth drawn from Slavic tradition and transplanted to medieval Germany – the legend of the Wilis.

The Wilis are the beautiful female spirits who enchant the forest by night. Alluring and irresistible, they are fatally dangerous to the young males who come under their spell. In life, the Wilis’ hearts were broken, and as spirits risen from their graves, a yearning for the dance denied them in life compels them to dance with revenge until the helpless males fall lifeless from exhaustion.

The beautiful nighttime forest, the sheer white dresses of the ballerinas and the enduring power of love that is the story’s theme all combine to make the ballet a timeless work of art.

Giovana Puoli of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Amy Schulster of Oceanside, N.Y., on alternate nights, will dance the role of Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis. The title role of Giselle will be shared by Anna Marie Cowan of Petal, Miss., and Lena Konetchy of Rosscommon, Mich. The role of the dashing young duke, Albrecht, will be portrayed by Michael Dunsmore of Anchorage, Alaska, and David Neal of New York City.

Tickets are $15, $13 for children and seniors. To obtain more information about the performance in Bangor, call 942-3333. Call 873-7000 for more information about the performance in Waterville.