A vintage illustration of a ballerina wearing a white dress with pink accents and a tiara, balancing on one foot. She is holding a bouquet of flowers and standing in a picturesque garden setting with trees and a distant building in the background.
An illustration depicts two ballet dancers. The male dancer, wearing a kilt and traditional Scottish attire, kneels while holding the hand of the female dancer, who wears a white dress and stands en pointe. The caption reads "Mons. Paul Taglioni" and "Madame Taglioni.
Ballet,  Fairies,  Victorian

La Sylphide Romantic Scottish Ballet

My latest upload ‘Prima Ballerina Creative Kit’ was inspired by an old grungy print I came across whilst researching something else (isn’t it always the way lol)

On closer inspection I noticed the ballerina seemed to be ‘balanced’ on the flower in the foreground and I thought surely not?! There must be a story here. Of course when I discovered the print was depicting a ballet that was set in the Scottish Highlands I was completely and utterly hooked into finding out more!

Marie Taglioni is the ballerina pictured in the print and was actually credited with inventing the Pointe ballet shoes. Her story is a fascinating one!

Marie Taglioni was born on April 23, 1804, in Stockholm, Sweden. She came from a family deeply rooted in the performing arts. Her father, Filippo Taglioni, was a renowned Italian ballet master and choreographer, and her mother, Sophie Karsten, was a Swedish ballerina. After her ballet teacher ditched her due to her having a spine deformity saying she would never be a ballerina her father started teaching her himself. Marie’s ballet training under her father’s rigorous and demanding tutelage shaped her into a technically proficient and expressive dancer.

Marie Taglioni’s major breakthrough came with her performance in “La Sylphide” in 1832. Choreographed for her by her father, this ballet became a hallmark of the Romantic era in ballet. The role of the sylph required a dancer to embody lightness, grace, and an ethereal quality. Marie’s ability to perform on pointe added to the otherworldly effect and captivated audiences. Her performance in “La Sylphide” was not only a personal triumph but also a significant cultural event that set new standards for ballet.

La Sylphide Potted Plot Background

“La Sylphide” is a ‘romantic ballet in two parts’ that tells the story of a young Scotsman named James who is engaged to be married to a local girl named Effie. On the eve of his wedding, he is visited by a sylph, a magical forest spirit, who enchants him with her beauty and ethereal presence. Entranced by the sylph, James abandons Effie and follows the sylph into the forest.

In the forest, James encounters a witch named Madge, who he has previously had a disagreement with. Madge gives him a magical scarf that she claims will allow him to capture the sylph. However, when James wraps the scarf around the sylph, it causes her to die, revealing the witch’s treachery. The ballet ends with James heartbroken and alone, as the sylph dies in his arms and Effie marries his love rival, Gurn.

“La Sylphide” explores themes of unattainable love, the supernatural, and the consequences of forsaking one’s true commitments for an illusory ideal.

As for the image of Marie ‘balanced’ on the flower? She had a piece of scenery reinforced so that it would look like she was light and airy enough to perch on point on it – she caused quite a stir!

Below is a concise version of the ballet with explainer by the Boston Ballet. It is only a few minutes long – well worth a watch!

You can download the Prima Ballerina Creative Kit by following the link HERE

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