LA SYLPHIDE

In the organizer's words:

La Sylphide is considered the romantic ballet classic par excellence. This two-act work by Filippo Taglioni, in which the dancers embodied the illusion of weightlessness as aerial spirits, not only marked the breakthrough of pointe dance in the 1830s; together with the white tutus of the ghostly creatures, it created an image of this art form that is still emblematic of classical dance today. In 1972, Pierre Lacotte, who died in 2023, staged his reconstruction of the work at the Paris Opera. In order to come as close as possible to the traditional Romantic ideals and the style of Filippo Taglioni, the choreographic "inventor" of Sylphide, Lacotte studied historical images and records intensively. Lacotte's version differs from August Bournonville's version, which is better known today and which was performed by the Bayerisches Staatsballett until the 1990s, in that its movement language is influenced by the French school. In addition, Lacotte's version is musically based on the original score by Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer.