Marie Taglioni 1804-1884

Marie Taglioni par Scheffer Ary 1795-1858


Marie Taglioni dans la Bayadère

Marie Taglioni dans La Sylphide

Marie Taglioni, Swedish-Italian dancer, the most important ballerina of her era, who established the delicate, ethereal style of early romantic ballet. Born in Stockholm, she studied with her father, the Italian choreographer Filippo Taglioni, and made her debut in Vienna in 1822. In Paris she created the title role in her father’s La Sylphide (1832), inaugurating the romantic era in ballet. In this role she became one of the first women to dance en pointe (on the tips of the toes). At the same time she introduced the bell-like skirt and tight-fitting bodice that became the classical costume of 19th-century ballet.
MARIE TAGLIONI.