An ancient classical ballet - that’s how they speak of "Sylphide". It is from this production that the history of dancing on pointe begins. Since then, ballet art has become even lighter and more elevated. A century and a half ago, the world saw the ballet by choreographer Filippo Taglioni "Sylphide", which the maestro wrote specifically for his daughter Maria - the first ballerina to dance on pointe. A more well-known version of this ballet’s production belongs to the choreographer August Bournonville. However, the choreographer of the Moscow Academic Musical Theatre named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, Pierre Lacotte, returned the original and lesser-known vision of the ballet and created the performance literally from the ashes of the archives. The premiere of Pierre Lacotte's "Sylphide" took place in early December 2011. The heroine created by Taglioni is practically a phantom, an unseen and invisible being, possessing astonishing femininity, grace, tenderness, and magic. She is literally a spirit that glides, almost not touching the stage; she is elusive, refined by nature, and complicated by her fate. It is this Sylphide that Pierre Lacotte revived, having spent an unimaginable amount of time restoring the archives of the performance staged by the French choreographer Taglioni. The first Sylphide in Lacotte's restored version was his wife - teacher-repetiteur Gilen Tesmar. She assists in rehearsals not only for the main heroine but for the entire troupe. The most challenging aspect for the soloist performing the role of Sylphide is not the movement itself, but its character, through which the character of the main heroine is conveyed. She is a sorceress, capable of becoming a mad fantasy for a man (James), able to outsmart him. The fate of the Sylphide is tragic. Her death, and then the sorrow of James and her friends, is remarkably conveyed through the music of Jean-Madelin Schneitzhoffer. Thanks to the work of lighting designer Jacques Giovanangeli, images of a mysterious forest, a festive pre-wedding atmosphere in James's home, and the appearance of the witch Madge are created. The scene of the first touch becomes particularly special.