Wilfried Jacobs and Petia Ilieva in August Bournonville’s La Sylphide.

Set in the Highlands of Scotland, La Sylphide is a classic fairytale with a tragic twist, and one of the oldest surviving ballets still in the standard repertoire, having been premiered in Paris in 1832. Its most famous version, choreographed by August Bournonville, had its premiere in Copenhagen in 1836.

Brought to Finland by the Royal Danish Ballet and premiered on 26 February, this is the first time La Sylphide by Bournonville is being performed here.

In good high Romantic tradition, merging folklore, sentiment and mysteries of the natural world, La Sylphide tells the story of a Scottish peasant who is about to get married when he meets a sylph, or wood nymph. Enchanted by her beauty, the peasant abandons his bride and follows the sylph into the darkness of the forest. By the time he realises his mistake, it is too late.

Staged by Frank Andersen, the former director of the Royal Danish Ballet and a Bournonville specialist, this version of La Sylphide is stays true to the original, with plenty of kilts flying and fairy wings a-flutter.

LOUISA GAIRN
SAKARI VIIKA - FNO