Filippo Taglioni

Filippo Taglioni was a significant Italian dancer and choreographer. He played a vital role in shaping the Romantic period of ballet. This was an era where dance became more expressive and delicate. Taglioni was a pioneer of a new ballet style. This style changed the very nature of the art form forever. He worked as a dancer and a ballet master in many countries. His career spanned across Italy, Austria, Sweden, Germany, and France.

Taglioni's professional life involved many different roles and locations. He was born in Milan on November 5, 1777. His father was a man named Carlo Taglioni. Filippo studied dance under instructors named Carlo Blasis and Jean-François Coulon. He made his stage debut at age 17 in Pisa. During this early time, he performed female roles. At age 22, he became a dancer with the Paris Opera. Later, he accepted a position as a principal dancer and ballet master for the Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm.

In 1803, Taglioni married Sophie Karsten in Stockholm. She was the daughter of a famous Swedish opera singer and a Polish actress. They had two children, Marie Taglioni and Paul Taglioni. Both of their children grew up to be dancers. The family lived in Vienna and Germany for several years. However, they moved to Paris to escape the dangers of the Napoleonic wars. This move to Paris would eventually lead to the greatest success of Filippo's career.

Filippo was a very strict teacher to his daughter, Marie. When she arrived in Vienna, he was not happy with her artistic progress. He decided to train her himself using a very rigorous method. He made her practice ballet for six hours every day for six months. He focused on a specific technique to change her style. He wanted her movement to be light and delicate. He emphasized jumps with ballon, which means a sense of lightness in the air. He also focused on pointe work, which is dancing on the tips of the toes. This type of dancing was almost unheard of at that time.

On March 12, 1832, Filippo choreographed the premiere of La Sylphide. This production took place at the Paris Opera Ballet in the Salle Le Peletier. The music was composed by Jean Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer. The story, or libretto, was by Adolphe Nourrit. It was based on a story by Charles Nodier. Marie Taglioni danced the leading role alongside Joseph Mazilier. The performance was a massive triumph. It made Marie the most acclaimed prima ballerina of the Romantic period. It also made Filippo the most renowned choreographer of the day.

There is often a misunderstanding regarding the history of La Sylphide. Many people today know a version choreographed by August Bournonville. Bournonville was a Danish ballet master. He created his version in 1836 using a new score by Herman Severin Løvenskiold. He did this because the Paris Opera demanded too high a price for the original music. While the Bournonville version is very famous and still performed in Denmark, Taglioni was the original creator. Because Taglioni's original choreography was lost, it had to be reconstructed. In 1972, Pierre Lacotte created a revival for the Paris Opera Ballet. He used a manuscript of the music found at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Filippo Taglioni's life included many different professional works. He choreographed several ballets between 1830 and 1852. These included Le Dieu et la bayadère in 1830 and La Fille du Danube in 1836. He also worked on L'Ombre in 1839 and Le Lac des fées in 1840. As he grew older, his personality became more eccentric and unpredictable. He eventually lost the fortune that Marie had carefully saved through unwise speculations. Despite these personal struggles, his influence on dance remained. He died in Como, Italy, on February 5, 1871, at the age of 93.