By Lina Broydo
“La Sylphide” Ballet (April 10-16, 2026) shined, mesmerized and dazzled the Bay Area audiences as it presented and showcased the magnificently talented dancers, ultra creative choreographers and production directors as well as the fascinating costumes and scenery designers.
“What makes this ballet so enduring is the sense of wonder it inspires in audiences of all ages,” – states Tamara Rojo, the brilliant Artistic Director and the additional coaching principal of the world renowned SF Ballet Company.
This classic and romantic Scottish tale hypnotizes the attendees with themes of forbidden love, nurses versus civilization and human longing for meaning – as we agree is relevant today as it was 200 years ago. In the heart of it all is the Sylph herself: mischievous and capricious who is the creature of pure imagination and who captured the historic place in ballet history as the first work to feature dancers performing in pointe shoes.
Every performance of La Sylphide is a reminder of how far this art form has come, and how much beauty it held from the very beginning. This timeless 19th-century production was created by Danish choreographer August Bournonville and set in the Scottish HIghlands.
My Personal Review:
- Well done, creatively choreographed and beautifully danced; very impressive sets.
- The leads: my currently favorite principal dancer who is originally from Sweden Nikisha Fogo as Sylph; and the charming Wei Wang as James.
- One of my favorite characters to observe was Madge, the Witch of Fate, who danced and mesmerizingly performed to the perfection by Maggie Weirich. If they would award a “Ballet Oscar” – she would be my choice.
The first act’s staging, dances and even the music remind me of Coppelia and Raymonda Ballets; Second act’s choreography reminds me of Giselle, even the costumes…
All in all a very lovely staging, choreography and dancing. The young kids (who are the students of the SF Ballet School are adorable and as always steal the show… they are very organized and trained in this production. Don’t miss the 2026 San Francisco Ballet School Spring Festival (May 8 & 9) at the War Memorial Opera House. See the stars of tomorrow! sfballet.org.
Lina Broydo, Award winning writer/columnist/blogger; lina.star_pr@sbcglobal.net
