Marie Taglioni
(1804-1884)

Born in Stockholm on 23 April 1804, Marie Taglioni was one of the most famous ballerinas of the Romantic era of ballet. She rose to fame as a dancer when her father (and teacher) Fillipo Taglioni created the ballet La sylphide (1832) for her. Designed as a showcase for her talent, it was the first ballet where the ballerina danced en pointe for the full length of the work.

Taglioni retired from performing in 1847. She later taught social dance to children and society ladies and also took a limited number of ballet pupils. Her only choreographic work was Le papillon (1860) for her student Emma Livry, who famously died in 1863 when her stage costume caught fire.

Taglioni died in Marseilles on 24 April 1884.