Origins, Music, and History
La Sylphide premiered at the Paris Opera in 1832, marking a pivotal moment in ballet history as one of the first Romantic ballets. It was choreographed by Filippo Taglioni specifically for his daughter Marie Taglioni, who would become one of the most celebrated ballerinas of the Romantic era. The original score was composed by Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer. However, the version most commonly performed today is Danish choreographer August Bournonville's 1836 adaptation, set to music by Herman Severin Løvenskiold.
The ballet emerged during the height of Romanticism in Europe, when artists across all mediums were embracing themes of the supernatural, the ethereal, and the conflict between earthly desires and spiritual aspirations. La Sylphide perfectly embodied these Romantic ideals, particularly in its portrayal of the unattainable supernatural being and the tragic human who pursues her.
The Story
Act I - The Scottish Farmhouse
The ballet opens in a Scottish farmhouse before dawn. James, a young farmer, sits sleeping in an armchair by the fireplace on what is to be his wedding day. A sylph, an ethereal winged spirit, sits at his feet, gazing at him with adoration. When James stirs, she kisses him and disappears into the chimney. James wakes, confused and enchanted by what he believes was a dream.
The house begins to fill with wedding preparations. Effie, James's bride-to-be, arrives with her mother and friends. During these preparations, an old woman named Madge is discovered warming herself by the fire. James, disturbed by her presence, recognizes her as a witch and drives her from his house, despite Effie's protests. Before leaving, Madge takes revenge by prophesying that Effie will not marry James but instead wed Gurn, a rival suitor who has long loved Effie.
As the wedding preparations continue, James becomes increasingly distracted. The sylph appears to him repeatedly, visible only to him, teasing and beckoning. During the celebration, she snatches the wedding ring from James's hand just as he is about to place it on Effie's finger. Entranced, James abandons his bride and guests to follow the sylph into the forest.
Act II - The Forest
The second act opens in a misty forest clearing. Madge is performing a ritual around a cauldron, creating a scarf imbued with deadly magic. Meanwhile, James has followed the sylph into the forest, where she dances with her sister sylphs. The forest scene reveals the full extent of the supernatural world that has always existed alongside the human one.
James attempts to embrace the sylph, but she constantly eludes him, always remaining just out of reach. This section of the ballet is filled with intricate choreography that emphasizes the sylph's otherworldly nature and James's increasing frustration at being unable to capture her.
Madge appears and presents James with the magical scarf she has created. She tells him that if he wraps it around the sylph's shoulders, she will lose her wings and become human, allowing him to finally possess her. What she doesn't reveal is that the scarf is poisoned and will kill the sylph.
The Tragic Conclusion
When James finally manages to wrap the scarf around the sylph's shoulders, instead of becoming human, she loses her wings and dies in his arms. The tragic scene is made more poignant by the sylph's sister spirits carrying her lifeless body into the air, demonstrating that even in death, she belongs to the supernatural realm that James could never truly enter.
As James collapses in grief, the sound of wedding music draws his attention. Through the trees, he sees Effie and Gurn's wedding procession, fulfilling Madge's prophecy. The witch appears one final time to mockingly triumph over James's destruction. Devastated by the loss of both his earthly and supernatural loves, James falls to the ground and dies of a broken heart.
Symbolic Elements
The story operates on multiple symbolic levels:
- The sylph represents the unattainable ideal that artists and dreamers often pursue at the cost of earthly happiness
- The contrast between Effie and the sylph embodies the tension between reality and fantasy
- Madge serves as both an agent of revenge and a representation of consequences for spurning the natural order
- The forest setting of Act II symbolizes the wilderness of the imagination and the dangerous territory between the real and supernatural worlds
Character Motivations
The ballet's psychological complexity is evident in its character development:
- James's fatal flaw is his inability to be content with earthly love, always reaching for something beyond human grasp
- The sylph's own nature is ambiguous - whether she truly loves James or simply delights in leading him astray is left open to interpretation
- Effie represents the human world that James rejects, while Gurn represents the stability James could have provided had he chosen differently
- Madge's actions can be seen as either pure malevolence or harsh justice for James's treatment of her
Impact on Dance and Culture
La Sylphide revolutionized ballet in several significant ways. First, it established many conventions of Romantic ballet that persist to this day. The ballet popularized dancing en pointe as an expression of otherworldliness, particularly for supernatural characters. Marie Taglioni's costume for the role -- a white, bell-shaped tutu that became known as the Romantic tutu -- created the iconic ballet aesthetic we still associate with classical dance.
The ballet also pioneered the dual-act structure that became standard in many classical ballets: the first act set in the real world, the second in a supernatural realm. This format would influence later works like Giselle and Swan Lake.
Technically, La Sylphide helped develop the style of dancing that characterized the Romantic era. The emphasis on lightness, ethereality, and the illusion of floating or flying led to innovations in jumps, beats, and pointe work. The ballet's demanding choreography required dancers to master new techniques for creating the appearance of effortlessness and supernatural grace.
Culturally, La Sylphide reflected and influenced broader artistic and social movements. Its themes of the unattainable ideal, the supernatural feminine, and the tragic consequences of pursuing impossible dreams resonated deeply with Romantic sensibilities. The ballet's Scottish setting also aligned with the period's fascination with folk traditions and exotic locations.
Beyond dance, La Sylphide has influenced other art forms, particularly in its portrayal of the supernatural feminine and its exploration of the tension between earthly and spiritual desires. Its themes and imagery have resonated through literature, visual art, and even fashion, helping to establish the Romantic ballet aesthetic as a cultural touchstone that extends far beyond the realm of dance.