The CND hopes to bring its high artistic level to Fine Arts with La sylphide and the Scotsman

After three years The Sylph and the Scotsman returns to the Palace of Fine Arts. Considered one of the most traditional works of romanticism in the history of ballet, on this occasion it will be staged by the National Dance Company (CND), with live music from the chamber orchestra of the country’s great cultural venue.

The director of the company, Érick Rodríguez, explained the importance of this staging, which saw the light of day for the first time in France in 1832, by the hand of its creator, Filippo Taglioni: “it is one of the most important in our repertoire for this year. At the CND we have the mission of bringing to the public the highest technical quality, due to its use of lace. It marked a milestone in romanticism and what better than to musicalize it live with the theater’s orchestra, conducted by Gavriel Heine,” he commented.

“We are very careful with the style; we placed a lot of emphasis on making it understandable and enjoyable for the entire audience. We focused on being very clear in the movements due to the absence of dialogue. Despite the complexity, I would like anyone who does not know much about it to get into the story of this tragic romance,” he commented.

The version that will be brought to the stage is that of August Bournonville, who readapted the choreography in 1936, which enjoyed such success that it is considered one of the most performed in the world and one of the great jewels of the Danish royal company.

The piece tells the story of James Ruben, a Scottish farmer who, while sleeping, is visited by a fairy who dances around him. In love, Ruben ignores his love for Effie, whom he is about to marry.

In the middle will be Gurn and Old Madge; The first is the best friend of the protagonist, who is secretly in love with Effie, and the second, a spiteful witch who seeks to kill the sylph so that Ruben suffers in revenge for having been humiliated by the Scotsman.

“It is a staging of romanticism; the story maintains a search for beauty and allows ‘feeding the soul of both the audience and us as dancers and production’. I am very fond of it, because when I was a dancer I learned a lot from it and I enjoyed putting it on. We have to understand that it is an ideal love story and that many will feel represented.”

The first dancers Ana Elisa Mena, Mayuko Nihei, Yoalli Sousa and the first soloist Elisa Ramos will play the sylph; Meanwhile, Alejandro Hidalgo, Argenis Montalvo and the first soloist Roberto Rodríguez will play James Ruben.

“The audience is going to enjoy the pointes, the fast-paced rhythm, the romantic tutus. The story is going to transport us to the search for ideal love. Beyond the tragedy, the figure of the sylph today is that of an independent empowered woman, even though she knows that there are limitations to her contact with humans, but she decides to court James,” commented Érick Rodríguez.

He added: “Our challenge is to show the high technical and artistic level of our dancers. We need to amaze the public. We want the young people who visit us to come closer; we want to provoke emotion in them, to make them feel that they are feeding their soul. It is important that whoever sees us pays close attention to the details.”

The work will be presented with a musical track this Saturday at 6 p.m., and with live music from the Fine Arts Theater Orchestra, on Sunday March 1 at 5 p.m., and on March 24 and 26 at 8 p.m., in the main hall of the Palace of Fine Arts. Tickets can be purchased at the venue’s box office or at Ticketmaster, with prices ranging from 99 to 231 pesos.