For several years the family lived in Vienna and Germany but to escape the dangers of the Napoleonic wars, Filippo moved them to Paris.

He sought to make her style light and delicate, with an emphasis on jumps with ballon and pointe work, something that was unheard of before this time.

The triumphant première of La Sylphide on 12 March 1832, made her the most acclaimed prima ballerina of the Romantic period and him the most renowned choreographer of the day.

As he grew older, he became eccentric and unpredictable, and eventually lost all of Marie's carefully amassed fortune in unwise speculations.

The original production of La Sylphide was first presented by the Paris Opera Ballet at the Salle Le Peletier in 1832, and was choreographed by Filippo Taglioni himself to the music of Jean Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer, with libretto by Adolphe Nourrit after a story by Charles Nodier.

Bournonville originally intended to stage the 1832 version in Denmark, but the Paris Opéra demanded too high a price for the orchestral parts of Schneitzhoeffer's score.

Due to the strong tradition of the Royal Danish Ballet this version is still being performed in Denmark to this day, and has since been staged throughout the world.