Nicholas Hübbe’s refreshing and captivating rendition of August Bournonville’s classical ballet A Folk Tale – the one with the bridal waltz.

Still a story of mistaken identity inspired by the old Danish myth, the ballet is charged with romantic sentiment and a juxtaposition between the known world and a demonic underworld.

However, in Nicholas Hübbe’s version, darkness is even grimmer and fear even more gruelling. The ballet offers a disturbing tale of the struggle between enlightenment and superstition in a nation gripped by fear of the unknown.

Set designer Mia Stensgaard instils the fairytale with a chilling sense of urgency, delving into a rambling world of flying and skating trolls with a stage inhabited by elf girls, beetles, maidens, noble ladies, gendarmes, witches, giants, pixies, bridesmaids, thieves and a single bog witch.