A Folk Tale
Cover art of Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen. His writings inspired the ballet A Folk Tale.
QUICK F A C T S
- ✦ A Folk Tale (Et Folkesagn) premiered on March 20, 1854.
✦ Choreographed by August Bournonville.
✦ Music composed by Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann and Niels Wilhelm Gade.
✦ Originally performed by Royal Danish Ballet.
✦ In 1991, Margrethe II helped design the costumes and sets for a notable production of the ballet.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark designed the costumes and sets for a celebrated 1991 production of A Folk Tale.
S U M M A R Y
A Folk Tale was inspired by a collection of old Danish folktales. August Bournonville, one of ballet’s most important choreographers, created the ballet using stories gathered by Svend Grundtvig and the Grimm Brothers. Bournonville described A Folk Tale as “the most complete and best” of his choreographic works. He believed dance should connect people to the deeper and more meaningful parts of life.
Title vignette from the piano sheet music for the ballet A Folk Tale, 1854.
Title vignette from the piano sheet music for the ballet A Folk Tale, 1854.
The ballet tells the story of a young man named Junker Ove, who is engaged to a vain woman named Birthe but secretly loves a kind servant girl named Hilda. During a celebration, magical trolls abduct Ove and reveal that Hilda and Birthe were switched at birth. Hilda is actually the daughter of a noble family, while Birthe is a troll princess. With Ove’s love and the help of magical allies, Hilda is rescued and reunited with her true family. The story ends with hidden identities revealed and the right couples finally brought together.
A Folk Tale is still performed today by ballet companies around the world. In 1991, a famous production featured costumes and sets designed by Margrethe II herself.
Cover of Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen, from 1872. Illustrated by Eleanor Vere Boyle. Commons
E N C O R E
✦ On Today’s Stage — A Folk Tale remains an important part of the Danish ballet tradition and is most often performed by Royal Danish Ballet, though it is seen less frequently outside Denmark.
.✦ Iconic Interpreters — The ballet is remembered more for its fairy-tale atmosphere, ensemble scenes, and distinctive Bournonville style than for a single internationally defining star performance.
✦ Legacy — A Folk Tale is considered one of August Bournonville’s greatest works, blending Danish folklore, romantic ballet traditions, comedy, and supernatural storytelling into a uniquely Scandinavian ballet classic.