Taglioni, Marie

Born Apr. 23, 1804, in Stockholm; died Apr. 22, 1884, in Marseille. Italian ballerina; prominent exponent of the romantic ballet.

Taglioni studied under her father, the famous choreographer F. Taglioni, and made her debut in 1822 in Vienna. From 1827 to 1835 she appeared in Paris, where she won international fame in 1832 for creating the title role in Schneitzhöffer’s La Sylphide, choreographed by her father. Taglioni greatly influenced the development of ballet. Her dancing was characterized by spirituality, purity, exceptional grace, and fluidity. With the assistance of her father, who staged nearly all the ballets in which she appeared, she introduced new methods of expression into ballet, notably point work. The diaphanous costume created for her by the artist E. Lami promoted the romantic reform in ballet dancing.

Taglioni appeared annually in St. Petersburg from 1837 to 1842. She later toured in London, where J. Perrot choreographed parts for her in C. Pugni’s Pas de Quatre (1845) and The Judgement of Paris (1846). Taglioni left the stage in 1847 and taught dancing to the children of English aristocrats. The famous ballerina E. Livry was one of Taglioni’s students. Taglioni died in poverty.