Sato Tomoyuki

Abstract: This paper examines Lucile Grahn (1819–1907) as a key figure in Romantic ballet, focusing on her career in Copenhagen and Paris and her relationship with August Bournonville. Drawing on historical sources, it traces how Grahn negotiated ideals of feminine lightness, sensuality, and virtuosity. The study situates her career within broader shifts in nineteenth-century ballet, including the rise of the prima ballerina and the changing status of male dancers, before turning to her later work in Munich as a choreographer for Wagner’s operas and director of the ballet at the Munich Court Theatre. An English translation of Clara Ziegler’s 1907 memoir is included as an appendix, offering firsthand testimony to Grahn as an artist and a woman, and illustrating the wide public admiration she inspired. Keywords: Lucile Grahn, August Bournonville, Romantic ballet, Pas de Quatre, Richard Wagner