Marie Taglioni

Marie Taglioni (18041884) was a ballerina. She was born in Stockholm, Sweden on 23 April 1804. Her father was the choreographer Filippo Taglioni. He created the seminal romantic ballet "La Sylphide" to showcase her talents.
She was the first ballerina to dance "en pointe" for the sake of artistry rather than spectacle. She created a scandal when she shortened her ballet skirts to display her footwork.
She danced mostly in London at Her Majesty's Theatre and in Paris at the Opéra. In 1827, she began a three-year stint with the Imperial Ballet in St Petersburg. She danced in "Pas de Quatre" with Carlotta Grisi, Lucille Grahn, and Fanny Cerrito in July 1845. She retired in 1847 and lived in Venice, Italy.
She was the guiding spirit behind the reorganization of the Paris Opéra Ballet. In later life, she taught social dances to children and society ladies. She also took a limited number of ballet pupils. Johann Strauss II composed the "Marie Taglioni Polka, Op. 173" in her honour. She died in Marseilles on 24 April 1884.