| Ballet of the Nuns | |
|---|---|
 Marie Taglioni, 1839 | |
| Choreographer | Filippo Taglioni |
| Music | Giacomo Meyerbeer |
| Libretto | Eugène Scribe |
| Based on | Quarante miracles dits de Notre-Dame |
| Premiere | 22 November 1831 Paris Opéra |
| Original ballet company | Paris Opéra Ballet |
| Characters | Bertram Robert le Diable Helena, an Abbess Ghosts of Nuns |
| Design | Henri Duponchel Pierre Ciceri |
| Setting | Sainte-Rosalie Cloister in ruins |
| Created for | Marie Taglioni |
| Genre | Gothic Romanticism |
| Type | Romantic ballet |
Ballet of the Nuns is the first ballet blanc and the first romantic ballet.[1] It is an episode in Act 3 of Giacomo Meyerbeer's grand opera, Robert le diable. It was first performed in November 1831 at the Paris Opéra. The choreography (now lost) was created by Filippo Taglioni. Jean Coralli may have choreographed the entry of the nuns.[2]
The short ballet tells of deceased nuns rising from their tombs in a ruined cloister. Their aim is to seduce the knight, Robert le Diable, into accepting a talisman to win him a princess. At the end of the ballet, the white-clad nuns return to their tombs. The ballet was created (in part) to demonstrate the building's newly installed gas lighting. The lighting was capable of creating ghastly effects.[3]
Ballet of the Nuns starred Marie Taglioni as the Abbess Helena. Although opening night was marred with a few mishaps, Taglioni made her indelible mark on the ballet world in the role. She became known for her ethereal qualities and her moral purity, and is one of the most celebrated ballerinas in history.[3]