Queensland Ballet’s ‘La Sylphide’ sells out

Queensland Ballet’s Brisbane season of Peter Schaufuss’ award-winning production La Sylphide has sold out.

Artistic Director Li Cunxin, who recently returned from the 43rd edition of the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland where the company’s Jette Parker Young Artists performed, says he is thrilled.

“I’m so excited that La Sylphide has been so popular among audiences,” he exclaims. “Peter Schaufuss is an international ballet legend, and his exquisite La Sylphide is widely considered the best production of this timeless ballet. Audiences are going to be swept away.”

The sell out of La Sylphide is another example of the tremendous ticket sales enjoyed by Queensland Ballet over the last few years. The company has quadrupled the number of season ticket holders since 2012. Queensland Ballet currently has over 6,950 season ticket holders, which is a 30% increase since 2014.

“My vision for Queensland Ballet is to bring world-class ballets to audiences that showcase our talented artists and give our audiences a magical experience,” Cunxin declares. “Our ongoing phenomenal ticket sales show us that audiences support this vision, which is extremely heartening.”

La Sylphide by the Danish ballet master August Bournonville premièred in Copenhagen by the Royal Danish Ballet in 1836. It is a captivating work that remains one of the most loved Romantic ballets to this day.

Woken on his wedding day by a beautiful, winged sylph, the Scotsman James is utterly bewitched. Elusive and playful, she professes her love for him.

James’s obsessive pursuit of the otherworldly creature leads him to abandon his fiancé and follow the sylph into the dangerous realm of the forest sprites. Here, he realises that in reaching for unattainable love, he has lost everything.

Schaufuss’ production was premièred in 1979 by the London Festival Ballet, now the English National Ballet. It embraces the characteristic Bournonville style of graceful, seemingly effortless dance, performed with great dramatic impact.

For those still hopeful of securing a ticket, Queensland Ballet recommends signing up to its e-news and keeping an eye on Facebook for any announcements of small ticket releases. La Sylphide opens on Friday, March 20 at the Playhouse, QPAC.

“Alternatively, people can make their way over to England this August and see us perform La Sylphide in London’s Coliseum Theatre,” encourages Cunxin.

Queensland Ballet is set to make its London debut with seven performances of La Sylphide on August 4–8 at the London Coliseum Theatre. For more information on the upcoming performances of La Sylphide, visit www.queenslandballet.com.au.

Photo: Queensland Ballet dancers Shane Wuerthner and Meng Ningning in Peter Schaufuss’s La Sylphide. Photo by Georges Antoni.