La Sylphide is a moral fable of how chasing your dreams risks upsetting your cocooned existence – a story that spans the whole emotional register translated into steps and mime.

August Bournonville’s ballet from 1836 is a milestone in romantic ballet. The drama of James’ encounter with the unattainable Sylph and the demonic Madge ushered in a new style where characters were suddenly given soul and depth. Nikolaj Hübbe’s rendition breaks with romantic tradition, not least in the form of a new and very different set design by Bente Lykke Møller. Her pared-down design frames James’ death wish more poignantly than ever.

George Balanchine’s ballet Theme and Variations from 1947 is an extravaganza of sublime dance and among the finest and most demanding in classical ballet in which Balanchine pays tribute to the sweeping style of the maestro Marius Petipa. With its grand scope, featuring a star principal couple, soloists and corps dancers, the ballet carries reference to the Imperial Russian ballet, but it also demonstrates Balanchine’s ability to toy with movement and music, so amidst it all we sense the purity and modernity of the 20th century.

The Royal Danish Theatre wishes to thank the Annie & Otto Johs. Detlefs’ Fonde – OJD for the generous funding that has enabled the staging of La Sylphide.