San Francisco Ballet
La Sylphide
War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco
April 11th, 2026 (matinee)
When La Sylphide is slated for a ballet company’s upcoming season, as it was for San Francisco Ballet in 2026, my excitement is palpable. For a number of reasons. First, La Sylphide is one of those full-length works that isn’t constantly programmed. Now this isn’t a new ballet. Not by a longshot - La Sylphide premiered nearly two hundred years ago. And it has all the signature tried-and-true story ballet themes. There’s jealousy and unrequited love. Dreams, spells, intrigue and otherworldly creatures. Desire, tragedy and solitude. But because La Sylphide isn’t visited and re-visited year after year after year, it has a freshness and novelty to it (incidentally, SFB’s current artistic leadership has been doing a bang-up job bringing different narrative blood to the War Memorial stage in recent seasons). Second, La Sylphide demonstrates that full-length ballets don’t have to be three hours long. Clocking in at ninety minutes, including intermission, the two-act production conveys its story expeditiously, concisely, and shies away from any ‘extra stuff.’ And of course, there are the beautiful Scottish costumes, scenery, Herman Løvenskiold’s evocative score and August Bournonville’s singularly exceptional choreography. There was even a bagpiper greeting patrons on the steps of the Opera House as they arrived.
But for me, La Sylphide holds personal nostalgia. Dancing in my first pair of pointe shoes was a struggle to say the least. Then, during a month-long summer intensive, we learned some of La Sylphide during variations and repertory class. The corps’ Act II phrase material changed my point shoe confidence game. Those series of steps always have the power to bring a smile to my face, as they did this past Saturday afternoon.
As the curtain rises on Act I, we encounter La Sylphide’s main characters awaiting the celebration of a wedding in the highlands: James, the groom; Effie, his betrothed; and an alluring, ethereal Sylph, who invades James’ subconscious and conscious states. Also on the scene are his friend Gürn, who appears to harbor feelings for Effie, as well as an elderly, derelict clairvoyant named Madge. The Scottish village, decked in their full tartan regalia and surrounded by stag horns, is ready to mark the festive occasion. But the Sylph commands James’ attention, while the interactions between James and Madge grow increasingly contentious and threatening.
While no surprise, the star of Act I was the Bournonville recipe of allegro, batterie, delicacy and joyful calm. And that Bournonville style looks great on this entire company - from the soloists to the corps, the character dancers to the children from SFB’s school. As the Sylph, Nikisha Fogo was the epitome of precision, control and lightness. Her opening diagonals dazzled with cabriole, balloné and tons of fluttery boureés. Low arabesque legs reigned supreme, proving once again that impressiveness isn’t always about tricks and being flashy. It’s equally about quiet excellence and quiet elegance. Wei Wang, as James, delivered his many percussive, batterie sequences with exactness and buoyancy. And Bournonville’s use of second position demi-plié as a distinct choreographic element, as opposed to merely a transition, gave the ensemble moments much Celtic flair.
 |
| San Francisco Ballet in Bournonville's La Sylphide ©San Francisco Ballet, Photo Lindsey Rallo |
Onto Act II, which begins with a very MacBeth-style scene – Madge and a quartet of witches circling a steaming (and as revealed later, poisonous) cauldron. In this moment, Madge’s plan is hatched to convince James to capture the Sylph, which would inevitably leave him alone and bereft. Before that finality, La Sylphide sojourns to the Scottish woodlands, where an entire group of fairy-like Sylphs continue the Bournonville choreographic tradition. Intricate sissones abound as do unassuming pas de boureé. Cycling through a number of developpé devant, each foot massaged the stage’s surface like a tactile pas de cheval.
In addition to the movement itself, there was another afternoon star that must be mentioned: Maggie Weirich as Madge. Weirich is a longtime member of SFB’s corps de ballet, but this performance was a window into their prowess as a character dancer. Wow! Their Madge was frightening, calculating and unapologetic when holding a grudge. I’m looking forward to the next time Weirich is cast in such a juicy role!
