La Esmeralda
Mathilde Felixovna Kschessinskaya (1872-1971)
QUICK F A C T S
- ✦ La Esmeralda premiered in London in 1844 and was inspired by Notre-Dame de Paris.
✦ The ballet was choreographed by Jules Perrot with music by Cesare Pugni.
✦ Unlike Victor Hugo’s tragic original novel, the ballet adaptation changes the ending and allows Esmeralda to survive and reunite with her true love.
✦ La Esmeralda was revived many times throughout ballet history, especially in Russia and Eastern Europe, where it remained an important part of the classical repertory.
✦ Famous excerpts from the ballet, especially the La Esmeralda pas de deux and tambourine dances, are still widely performed today by ballet students and competition dancers around the world.
Carlotta Brianza as Esmeralda circa 1890.
S U M M A R Y
La Esmeralda is a dramatic ballet inspired by Notre-Dame de Paris and first premiered in London in 1844. Choreographed by Jules Perrot with music by Cesare Pugni, the ballet tells the story of Esmeralda, a kind-hearted Romani girl living near Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Although the ballet is sometimes confused with other stage adaptations of Victor Hugo’s novel, La Esmeralda became one of the most famous ballet versions of the story, especially in Russia and Eastern Europe where it survived through later revivals and reconstructions.
Russian ballerina Zhanna Bogoroditskaya as Esmeralda in the ballet Esmeralda, staged by A. B. Petrov, 2006. Photo: Tiana230, commons.
Ballet "La Esmeralda" of Rostov State Opera and Ballet in Moscow (Bolshoi Theatre).
Esmeralda: Irina Perren. Photo: Voltmetro, commons.
The story mixes romance, danger, jealousy, and rescue. Captain Phoebus is immediately captivated by Esmeralda, even though he is already promised to another woman. Esmeralda also attracts the attention of the dark and obsessive Frollo, who becomes consumed by jealousy. Frollo orders the hunchback Quasimodo to kidnap her, but Phoebus intervenes and saves her just in time. Later, when Frollo attacks Phoebus and frames Esmeralda for the crime, she is sentenced to death despite her innocence. Quasimodo, grateful for Esmeralda’s kindness toward him, helps protect her while Phoebus eventually survives and proves the truth.
One fascinating detail about La Esmeralda is that the ballet changes Victor Hugo’s original ending. In the novel, Esmeralda’s story ends tragically, but 19th-century ballet audiences preferred romance and spectacle over heartbreak. Because of this, the ballet version allows Esmeralda and Phoebus to reunite happily at the end. Over time, the ballet also became famous for its dazzling tambourine dances and virtuosic pas de deux, especially the La Esmeralda variations often performed by advanced ballet students and international competition dancers today.
Photo taken by an unknown photographer of Agrippina Vaganova in "La Esmeralda". St. Petersburg, circa 1910.
E N C O R E
✦ On Today’s Stage
La Esmeralda survives today through Russian repertory revivals, gala performances, and famous competition variations, especially Esmeralda’s tambourine dance and the La Esmeralda pas de deux.
✦ Iconic Interpreters
Modern ballerinas such as Natalia Osipova and Svetlana Zakharova helped revive interest in La Esmeralda through major Russian productions and celebrated performances of its virtuosic variations.
✦ Legacy
Inspired by Notre-Dame de Paris, La Esmeralda became one of ballet’s most enduring literary adaptations, remembered for its dramatic storytelling, romantic atmosphere, and dazzling classical showcase dances that continue influencing ballet competitions and gala culture today.