Inspired by Queen Christina of Sweden, La Folie des Illusions explores identity, power, and transformation. A sovereign unlike any other, Christina abdicated, left Sweden for Rome, and defied societal norms—refusing marriage and shaping the arts.
At the heart of this ballet is one of her maxims:
“It is easier to deceive others than to deceive ourselves.”
Through movement, the piece expresses the tension between illusion and self-awareness, between the roles society imposes and the truths we seek. Set to Francesco Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso in D Minor, La Folia—a variation on Corelli’s iconic theme that Christina herself might have heard in her Roman court—the ballet unfolds as a mesmerising reflection on a woman’s escape from destiny and her power to redefine it.
A journey through deception and liberation, La Folie des Illusions pays tribute to a queen who rewrote the rules.
