INSTANT EXPERT: WHAT IS A SYLPH?

A sylph is a mythical spirit of the air. The concept of this ethereal, winged creature originated during the European Renaissance, when the Swiss-German physician Paracelsus theorized that the natural world was inhabited by elemental spirits. Each belonged to one of the four classical elements: earth, water, fire, and air. Gnomes dwelled in the earth, undines in water, salamanders in fire—and sylphs, of course, in the air.

Light as a feather and impossible to hold, the sylph embodies mystery, freedom, and unattainable beauty. In La Sylphide, she lures the hero James away from earthly life, symbolizing the irresistible pull of dreams and the dangers of chasing the intangible.

See how the sylphs’ wings, flowing romantic tutus, and delicate pointe work set them apart from the human characters in Bournonville’s La Sylphide onstage later this month.