La Sylphide

 La Sylphide
Colorado Ballet
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Denver, CO
October 2-11, 2015 

La Sylphide is one of the oldest ballets on record. After seeing many of the classics over the years, it was interesting to see one that preceded them all.

The storyline is simple – as many ballets are. The hero awakens to find a beautiful sylph in his home. His obsession with her causes him to lose everything.

The costumes in this show evoked the Scottish highlands. I must admit it was refreshing to see the male dancers in kilts rather than tights. The women’s long dresses did not make them look like ballerinas, but the dancing seamlessly blended with these changes.

The choreography in Act 1 was reminiscent of the dancing from the Scottish Highlands. The highlight of the evening was the company dancing in the great hall. It was a spectacular sequence, even if James, the hero, had to be pulled back in while chasing his elusive sylph.

Act two started strongly with Madge, the witch, doing a strange dance around her cauldron, reminding me of the witches in Macbeth. The rest of the act was dominated by the sylphs. The set up was much like the Wilis’ dance in Giselle. Unfortunately, these sequences were not as captivating as the Wilis.

With the exception of the ending, the production didn’t feel old fashioned. It was beautiful to watch and easy to follow.