La Sylphide Analysis

Within this essay I will be looking at the traditional La Sylphide (1832) and how it has been re-worked by Matthew Bourne in to Highland Fling (1994). The concepts of ballet have changed dramatically over the last century. The story of La Sylphide (1832) by Taglioni is a Romantic, supernatural story; revealing the journey of a young scotsman who believes he’s deeply in love with his to be wife, However when stopped in his tracks by a greedy, yet beautiful sylph, he becomes entranced yet slightly obsessive. Falling deeply in love with her and jolting his fiance at the altar to be with the supernatural. The ballet follows a traditional romantic structure, commencing with a locale couleur. It is set in scotland, of which at the time was considered

His journey takes him from the harrowing streets and nightclubs of Glasgow into an intriguing and enchanting world far from reality. The structure of this ballet remains Romantic, it has a local color of which is set in scotland and is referenced through use of traditional tartan scenery and costumes. It also has a ballet blanc which emerges after the audience 's attention is focused through a light hearted first act, dressed with comedy and cultural references. In the ballet blanc the audience are abruptly introduced to the “hauntingly beautiful second half” (Riley, 2013) The ballet blanc is predominantly narrated through dance, whereas the local color has a strong focus on mime to accompany the dance. In Highland Fling (1994), The supernatural setting is featured in a forest. Situated just outside the council estate, not shying away from exposing a lower class community, the forest is littered with dustbins, a disused car and general untidiness. Just like traditional ballet blanc, it was all about creating an atmosphere, to scare, yet entice an audience, the supernatural element of a ballet blanc feels like a whole new world in itself. “Choreographers were becoming increasingly aware of the importance of atmosphere” (Guest, 1988, Pg

They do this in a group, making the movements more intimidating and sinister with a mystical twist, they’re movements are in a ballone style. Once again like a traditional romantic ballet. The ballone style is lighter and highlights the supernatural quality. However, although the majority of their choreography is in the style, they also have a heavy dynamic to their movements, they dance with heavy shoulders and heads, that appear to be kind of just placed on the body and not particularly choreographed, just allowed to be flung freely in whatever direction the body takes