La Sylphide and the third act of Napoli

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The Royal Danish Ballet
The Royal Danish Ballet is the world's third oldest ballet companies founded back in 1748 – and with its Bournonville tradition the company holds an exceptional position internationally. No other ballet company has kept as many ballets in its repertory, danced in an uninterrupted tradition from the Romantic period of the nineteenth century: La Sylphide, Napoli and A Folk Tale are master pieces, not only in Danish ballet history but also in an international context.

The Royal Danish Ballet, however, does not live in the past. During the twentieth century the Royal Danish Ballet has developed into a company also spanning modern style: from the neoclassical works by George Balanchine via Danish choreographers like Harald Lander and Flemming Flindt to the choreographers of our time both in Europe and USA such as John Neumeier, Maurice Béjart and Jiri Kylián. Adding to this that the company also performs the great classics like Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker it goes without saying that hardly any other company in the world can meet as many requirements as the Royal Danish Ballet.

LA SYLPHIDE - A Romantic Masterpiece
La Sylphide is the most captivating character of classic ballet. She appeals to both audience and dancers, who for generations have been fascinated and beguiled by Bournonville's timeless message. Portrayed with melancholic sentiment and magnificent dance the ballet deals with the incongruity of settled bourgeois life and the irresistible allure of the unknown.

La Sylphide is a breakthrough work in European Romantic ballet. The ballet mirrors its time and is eternal in its subject matter. The young Scotsman, James, is split between the world he knows and the dream of a different, more tempting and dangerous life. The ballet conveys the Romantic notion that humans are double beings with a light and a dark side. Spleen, Weltschmerz and mal de siècle are keywords in understanding this ballet, which with its dramatic representation of the human condition has retained its immediate appeal.

Inspired by French Romanticism, La Sylphide is Bournonville's only tragic ballet. Stylistically, it is a sublime combination of mime and choreography. Bournonville commissioned the composer Herman Severin Løvenskiold to compose a new, original score.

La Sylphide was created in 1832 by Filipo Taglioni to his daughter the dancer Maria Taglioni at the Paris Opera. Bournonville saw the ballet in Paris in 1834, and two years later he staged his own version in Copenhagen with Lucile Grahn as the Sylph and himself as James. While the ballet disappeared from the international ballet stages – the last Paris performance was in 1860 – it remains a traditional repertoire fixture at the Royal Danish Theatre.

NAPOLI - Bubbling joie de vivre
Italian folklore, romantic love and bubbling joie de vivre form the core of Bournonville's famous ballet Napoli. This gripping tale of the charming Teresina and the poor fisherman Gennaro, whose love is challenged by the sea spirit Golfo and his seductive naiads, is homage to love.

Napoli is one of the most important principle works of the Royal Danish Ballet's unique Bournonville legacy but it is also among the most prominent works in the entire international ballet repertoire. The ballet features folktales while also mirroring the Romanticist view of life shared by the choreographer. This is a commanding example of positive, Danish Romanticism where Virtue, Love and Lightness are victorious. The celebratory dance of the third act has with time become the hallmark of the Royal Danish Ballet.

Choreographically speaking, the classic step design of the pas de six is juxtaposed with national dance – here an Italian tarantella – just as the ballet contains passages of miming that range from the merry to the tragic.

Buy tickets in person
The box office of the National Centre for the Performing Arts is located at the north entrance of centre. It is open between 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day. We accept cash, American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Union Pay debit cards. Most overseas international credit cards are accepted.
The Centre's address is: 2, West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100031
National Centre for the Performing Arts is located right at Tian'anmen West Station (Exit C) on Beijing's line 1 subway route.
Bus routes 1 , 4 , 10 , 20 , 37 , 52 , 726 , 728 and 802 all stop at Tian'anmen West. .

Book tickets over the phone
Tickets may be purchased by calling our hotline on +86 10 6655 0000 between 9:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day. A delivery service is available or tickets may be collected 24 hours after placing your order. Please remember to bring your order number when picking up your tickets.

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