When the allure of love is a trap

Monica Loughman trained as a ballerina in Russia and is directing love story, La Sylphide, at the Cork Opera House.

of unattainable love is the theme of La Sylphide, one of the oldest surviving romantic ballets, which will be performed by the Monica Loughman Ballet Company at the Cork Opera House on Sunday. First performed at the Paris Opera in 1832, Loughman has reinterpreted the ballet “to make it clearer. The first time I saw it, I could never understand why the witch was played by a man.”

The witch, Madge, appears to Scottish farmer, James, on his wedding day. Madge, played by Loughman, predicts that James will betray his fiancée. He does, falling in love with the vision of a magical sylph and following her into the forest.