La Sylphide at Cork Opera House

La Sylphide opened in March 2012 at the 2000 seat Convention Centre Dublin – a remarkable achievement and milestone for Irish Ballet led by Ireland’s most well known ballerina, Monica Loughman. Since then, the company’s second event at The CCD - The Nutcracker - sold out two dates with a third added. This tour of La Sylphide is supported by the Office of the Minister of the Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht’s philanthropy scheme. Denis Veginiy and Katherina Markowskaja of Perm and Mariinsky Theatres will perform the lead roles of James and Sylph supported by an illustrious troupe of 48 dancers. The extraordinary sets are designed and made by Lisa Zagone with many of the costumes created by Monica Ennis of Riverdance fame.

La Sylphide is the oldest surviving romantic ballet. It is about a Scottish nobleman, James, who is betrothed to Effie but falls in love with a beautiful and magical forest Sylph. In Monica Loughman’s adaptation of the original version, the evil witch Madge is performed by a female dancer and she plots to ruin James by creating a magical scarf, which she tells him will keep his Sylph from flying away. Instead the scarf kills Sylph in a tragic scene, which is one of the most memorable in classical ballet. Effie meanwhile marries another nobleman while James is deceived by Madge becoming a slave to the witch.