Les Sylphides by Mikhail Fokine, Music by Frédéric Chopin

Les Sylphides is a plotless ballet that celebrates the Romantic era through the ethereal beauty of classical technique and poetic atmosphere. Set to a selection of Frédéric Chopin's most beloved piano compositions, the work features a solitary male dancer surrounded by a corps de ballet of delicate female dancers dressed in white tutus, evoking the sylphs of Romantic legend. The ballet unfolds as a series of interconnected scenes, each accompanied by a different Chopin piece—nocturnes, études, waltzes, and a prelude—that shift the emotional landscape from introspection to joy to melancholy. Through pure movement and the interplay of light, shadow, and formation, the choreography captures the essence of Chopin's music, translating its lyrical phrases and harmonic subtleties into visual poetry. The work eschews narrative in favor of mood and sensation, creating an intimate portrait of Romantic sensibility that remains one of ballet's most enduring masterpieces.