Filippo Taglioni (aka Philippe Taglioni; 5 November 1777 – 11 February 1871) was an Italian

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

r and

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who c ...

and personal teacher to his own daughter, Romantic

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

Marie Taglioni Marie Taglioni, Comtesse de Voisins (23 April 1804 – 22 April 1884) was a Swedish-born ballet dancer of the Romantic ballet era partially of Italian descent, a central figure in the history of European dance. She spent most of her life in t ...

. (He had another child who also danced ballet, Paul Taglioni.) Also, although

August Bournonville August Bournonville (21 August 1805 – 30 November 1879) was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. He was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the ne ...

's version is better known, it was Taglioni who was the original choreographer of ''

La Sylphide ''La Sylphide'' ( en, The Sylph; da, Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. ...

'', in 1832.

Biography

Born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

to father Carlo, he received his dance training predominantly with

Carlo Blasis Carlo Blasis (4 November 1797 – 15 January 1878) was an Italian dancer, choreographer and dance theoretician born in Naples. He is well known for his very rigorous dance classes, sometimes lasting four hours long. He danced in France, Italy, ...

and Jean-François Coulon. He made his dancing debut at age 17 in

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ci ...

performing female

roles A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, obligations, beliefs, and norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavior and may have a given indi ...

. He danced in other Italian cities before becoming a dancer (at age 22) with the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

. With Vestris firmly in control there, he readily accepted an invitation to be a principal dancer and ballet master for the Royal Swedish Ballet in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

, Sweden. In Stockholm, he married the dancer

Sophie Karsten Hedvig Sophie Karsten (3 September 1783 – 25 February 1862) was a Swedish ballerina and artist (painter). Born to opera singers Christoffer Christian Karsten and Sophie Stebnowska, she was the sister of painter Elisabeth Charlotta Karsten. Sop ...

, daughter of a famous Swedish

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

singer

Christoffer Christian Karsten Christoffer Christian (or ''Kristofer Kristian'') Karsten (9 September 1756 – 6 August 1827) was a Swedish opera singer. He was the maternal grandfather of the ballerina Marie Taglioni. Life Born in Ystad, he was discovered by qu ...

and the Polish actress

Sophie Stebnowska Mariane Theresia ''Sophie'' (Maria Sofia) Stebnowska also called Zofia Stępkowska or ''Stempkosta'' (13 July 1753 or 1761 – 16 February 1848) was a Swedish opera singer and harpist of Polish origin. She has been referred to as one of th ...

, in 1803. Together, they had two children,

and Paul Taglioni, both of whom became dancers themselves. For several years the family lived in Vienna and Germany but to escape the dangers of the Napoleonic wars, Filippo moved them to Paris. He danced and choreographed throughout Europe, mostly in Italy, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. Finally, he was invited to take a more permanent position with the

Theater am Kärntnertor or (Carinthian Gate Theatre) was a prestigious theatre in Vienna during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its official title was (Imperial and Royal Court Theatre of Vienna). History The theatre was built in 1709 to designs by Anto ...

in Vienna. Once settled in Vienna, he sent for Marie, who had been studying

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

in Paris. Upon her arrival, Filippo was discouraged by her artistic progress and began training her himself. He had her practice ballet six hours a day for six months, using a level method of technique training. He was very strict with her, and had no sympathy for her aching and bleeding toes. He sought to make her style light and delicate, with an emphasis on jumps with ''ballon'' and pointe work, something that was unheard of before this time. When she was ready he took her back to Paris. After Marie's professional debut she became so popular that Filippo was able to negotiate a six-year contract for the two of them. The triumphant première of ''

'' on 12 March 1832, made her the most acclaimed prima ballerina of the Romantic period and him the most renowned choreographer of the day. It is said that the great Romantic period of dance was ushered in on that night. Because of this immense success, the two of them traveled widely together and toured both Europe and Russia. As he grew older, he became eccentric and unpredictable, and eventually lost all of Marie's carefully amassed fortune in unwise speculations. Nevertheless, he must be recognized as a pioneer in a ballet style that was to alter forever the very nature of the art. Taglioni died in

Como, Italy Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has ...

on 5 February 1871, at the age of 93.

Misconceptions about ''La Sylphide''

The ballet-going public knows the Romantic ballet ''

'' as being choreographed by the Danish ballet master

. That is indeed the ''La Sylphide'' audiences are most familiar with today but was not the version given in 1832. The original production of ''La Sylphide'' was first presented by the Paris Opera Ballet at the

Salle Le Peletier The Salle Le Peletier or Lepeletier (sometimes referred to as the Salle de la rue Le Peletier or the Opéra Le Peletier) was the home of the Paris Opera from 1821 until the building was destroyed by fire in 1873. The theatre was designed and con ...

in 1832, and was choreographed by Filippo Taglioni himself to the music of Jean Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer, with libretto by

Adolphe Nourrit Adolphe Nourrit (3 March 1802 – 8 March 1839) was a French operatic tenor, librettist, and composer. One of the most esteemed opera singers of the 1820s and 1830s, he was particularly associated with the works of Gioachino Rossini and Giacomo ...

after a story by

Charles Nodier Jean Charles Emmanuel Nodier (29 April 1780 – 27 January 1844) was a French author and librarian who introduced a younger generation of Romanticists to the ''conte fantastique'', gothic literature, and vampire tales. His dream related writings ...

. The leading roles were danced by

and Joseph Mazilier. Bournonville originally intended to stage the 1832 version in Denmark, but the Paris Opéra demanded too high a price for the orchestral parts of Schneitzhoeffer's score. In light of this, Bournonville decided to stage his own version of ''La Sylphide'' on the same scenario, with a new score by

Herman Severin Løvenskiold Baron Herman Severin Løvenskiold (30 July 1815 – 5 December 1870) was a Norwegian-born Danish composer, most noted for his score for August Bournonville's 1836 version of the ballet ''La Sylphide'' for the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen. ...

. The production premiered in 1836 with the

prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and ...

Lucile Grahn Lucile Alexia Grahn-Young (30 June 1819 – 4 April 1907) was the first internationally renowned Danish ballerina and one of the popular dancers of the Romantic ballet era. Grahn studied from a young age at the Royal Danish Theatre School i ...

and Bournonville in the principal roles. Due to the strong tradition of the Royal Danish Ballet this version is still being performed in Denmark to this day, and has since been staged throughout the world. In 1972 the ballet master

Pierre Lacotte Pierre Lacotte (born 4 April 1932) is a French ballet dancer and choreographer who specialised in the reconstruction of lost choreographies of romantic ballets. His mother was an affirmed musician and he manifested very early his interest for da ...

revived Filippo Talgioni's original ''La Sylphide'' for the Paris Opera Ballet, with the noted ballerina Ghislaine Thesmar as the Sylph. Schneitzhoeffer's original score was reconstructed from a manuscript held at the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

. As Taglioni's original choreography was lost long ago, Lacotte choreographed the ballet in the style of the

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided ...

. The Paris Opera Ballet has since released the production onto DVD/video twice.

Works

1830: ''Le dieu et la bayadère'' 1832: ''La Sylphide'' 1833: ''La révolte au sérail'' 1836: ''La fille du Danube'' 1838: ''La gitana'' 1839: ''L'ombre'' 1840: ''Le Lac des fées'' 1841: ''Aglaë, ou L'Elève de l'amour'' 1852 : ''Satanella oder Metamorphosen'' based on '' The Devil in Love (novel)''

Bibliography

* Marie Taglioni, ''Souvenirs. Le manuscrit inédit de la grande danseuse romantique'', édition établie, présentée et annotée par Bruno Ligore, Gremese, 2017. * Madison U. Sowell, Debra H. Sowell, Francesca Falcone, Patrizia Veroli, ''Icônes du ballet romantique. Marie Taglioni et sa famille'', Gremese, 2016.

References

External links

Andros on Ballet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taglioni, Filippo 1777 births 1871 deaths Dancers from Milan Italian male ballet dancers Ballet masters Romanticism Ballet choreographers Filippo Taglioni 18th-century Italian ballet dancers 19th-century Italian ballet dancers Taglioni Royal Swedish Ballet dancers Italian expatriates in France Italian expatriates in Sweden Italian expatriates in the Austrian Empire