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Filippo Taglioni
Easily a father of Romantic Ballet, Taglioni choreographed many important works in the time period, particularly La Sylphide (1832). Father to Marie Taglioni, one of star ballerinas of the Romantic Period. -
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Marie Taglioni
Marie Taglioni was a very important figure in the Romantic Era, if only for forever being associated with dancing en pointe, a balletic reform that took off after her sublime performance in Filippo Taglioni's "La Sylphide" (1832). Widely adored, Taglioni had impressive ballon and a very light, ethereal quality to her movement. -
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August Bournonville
A Danish dance master and choreographer who was active during the Romantic Era. Did most of his choreographing for the Royal Danish Ballet, including a reimagining of Taglioni's "La Sylphide" in 1836 -
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Fanny Elssler
Fanny Elssler was a Romantic Ballerina and a sort of rival to Marie Taglioni. Elssler was a very different dancer, and nicknamed the "pagan dancer" for her vivacious and sensual performances, a contrast to Taglioni's ethereal grace. -
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Marius Petipa
French choreographer Marius Petipa is the Father of Classical Ballet and widely considered one of the most influential ballet choreographers in history. His list of works is extensive, most of them staged in the theatres in St. Petersburg, Russia, where his work flourished for many decades. Notable ballets are The Pharaoh's Daughter (1862), Don Quixote (1869), La Bayadere (1877), The Sleeping Beauty (1890), and The Nutcracker (1892; likely choreographed by pupil Lev Ivanov with Petipa's counsel) -
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Dancing en pointe
It was during the Romantic Era that the now ubiquitous method of dancing en pointe first was popularized, and is usually accredited to Marie Taglioni for her titular role in "La Sylphide". However, it was still very far from the pointe shoe of today's dancers. -
Robert le Diable
An opera composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer, "Robert le Diable" featured a ballet work in the third act choreographed by Filippo Taglioni that is considered a precursor to true Romantic Ballet. In it, the spirits of nuns dance in a moonlit cloister, and the choreography also featured his daughter, future star ballerina Marie Taglioni. -
La Sylphide (Taglioni)
La Sylphide was the first Romantic Ballet, and was choreographed by Filippo Taglioni to showcase his daughter, Marie. The story centers around James, a young Scotsman who falls in love with a Sylphide, an air spirit, and leaves his fiancee at the altar to pursue this mystical being. A witch gives him a scarf that will allow him to have the sylph forever, but the scarf has been cursed and so the sylph dies when James catches her. Score by Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer. -
La Sylphide (Bournonville)
A reimagining of Filippo Taglioni's ballet, choreographer August Bournonville's version of "La Sylphide" is the only version that has survived to present-day intact, and is still performed by the Royal Danish Ballet. -
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Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A Russian composer who provided the scores for many Classical Ballets, such as The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake. -
Giselle
Giselle is often referred to as the quintessential Romantic Ballet. Choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, it starred Carlotta Grisi as Giselle. Giselle is a frail young peasant woman who dies after finding out that the prince she is in love with is promised to another. Later, when placing flowers on her grave, Albrecht is confronted by the spiteful spirits of jilted women, the Wilis, and forced to dance until he dies. Thanks to Giselle's eternal love, he is saved. Music by Adolphe Adam -
Pas de Quatre
This ballet divertissement choreographed by Jules Perrot was an attempt to bring together four star ballerinas on one stage together. The ballerinas in question were Lucile Grahn, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito, and Marie Taglioni. Fanny Elssler was invited to participate but declined, likely because of tension with Taglioni. While a sensation with the public, this work highlights the decline of ballet's heyday in Western Europe, due to its frivolous nature. -
The Pharaoh's Daughter
A Classical Ballet choreographed by Marius Petipa and presented in St. Petersburg, "The Pharaoh's Daughter" is a great example of how ballet plots should not be judged to the same standards as literary plots. -
La Bayadere
A ballet by Marius Petipa presented at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. One of its scenes, "The Kindgom of the Shades", is a timeless excerpt of Classical Ballet. -
The Sleeping Beauty
With choreography by Marius Petipa and a score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, "The Sleeping Beauty" is easily one of the most famous Classical Ballets. It first premiered in St. Petersburg, and is Tchaikovsky's longest ballet score, nearly four hours in length with intermissions. -
Swan Lake (Petipa/Ivanov)
While originally choreographed by Julius Reisinger, this Tchaikovsky ballet was met with lukewarm reception until Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov restaged it after Tchaikovsky's death, whereupon it became one of the most celebrated Classical Ballets. -
Raymonda
One of the last ballets of the 19th Century, "Raymonda" was originally staged by Marius Petipa and composed by Alexander Glazunov. Raymonda is set in the Middle Ages, during the Holy Crusades, and follows a young Hungarian countess who is seduced by a Saracen seeking shelter at her castle while her fiancee is off at war.