The Joffrey Ballet preserves the 19th-century dance tradition with its first staging of Giselle, the1841 French romantic ballet with a score by Adolph Adam (performed live by the Chicago Sinfonietta). Giselle is a two-act dance drama about a prince who does wrong by a peasant girl. When Giselle dies heartbroken (or stabbed; take your pick) she joins the Wilis, the vampiric ghosts of young women deceived in love, who demand revenge upon the prince and the peasant swain who loved Giselle truly. The Joffrey production is based on a 1933 staging derived from an earlier Imperial Russian Ballet version. Tutus, toe shoes, tights … this is real buns-of-steel stuff. Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress, through Oct. 28; 312-902-1500; $25-$140. Photo by Herbert Migdoll