La Fille mal gardée at Opéra national de Paris - Opéra Bastille

La Fille mal gardée is the oldest action ballet in the French repertoire and at the same time the first modern one. First performed at Bordeaux’s Grand Theatre just days before the French Revolution, its success was immediate and the work quickly travelled across Europe and the United States. For the first time, the storyline does not involve gods or ancient heroes and recounts through pantomime the adventures of the young lovers Lise and Colas. La Fille mal gardée returned to the Palais Garnier in 2007 in Frederick Ashton's version, created for London’s Royal Ballet in 1960. To Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold's music, re-orchestrated by John Lanchbery, the choreographer composed a ballet replete with humour, tenderness and gaiety, giving new life to Dauberval’s pastoral.