La Sylphide (1836)

La Sylphide is a two-act romantic ballet. The ballet was created in two versions, the first by Filippo Taglioni in 1832 and the second by August Bournonville in 1836. Bournonville is the only known surviving version, and it is one of the world's oldest surviving ballets as well as one of the most famous ballets of all time. The tragic love story of a sylph (an air spirit) and a Scotsman is told in this dance.

Sylph is a mythical being or spirit. The ballet depicts an unattainable love between a human and a spirit, as well as man's intrinsic desire for an unknown and sometimes deadly life. La Sylphide is still a thrilling, fascinating ballet that both audiences and dancers enjoy. Because of the inclusion of the sylph and the witch, it differs from the conventional romantic ballet.

The earliest version of this dance was created by choreographer Filippo Taglioni and his daughter, Romantic ballerina Marie Taglioni. Their choreography has been lost to time, but the second version, choreographed by August Bournonville, is still performed on occasion. La Sylphide is regarded as one of the first of the Romantic period. His ballet, originally presented in Copenhagen in 1836, set the foundation of the Romantic ballet genre. It established a significant precedent in the world of ballet.