Marie Taglioni was born on April 23, 1804 in Stockholm, Sweden into a family of dancers, including her brother Salvatore who was a dance master in Naples, Italy and her father Filippo, a dancer and choreographer who was also her main dance trainer. Marie made her professional debut in Vienna, Austria in 1822 and rose to fame with her role in the ballet , choreographed by her father, which premiered at the Paris Opéra on March 12, 1832. A dramatic Romantic ballet, tells the story of a young Scottish man who falls in love with a sylph, the role played by Marie, not long before he is to be married. Sadly, when he is finally successful in catching the sylph, she dies, emphasizing the impossibility of love between a human and a spirit.

In this ballet, Marie became the first ballerina to dance for the work's entirety, accomplished using normal ballet slippers with reinforcements in the block of the slipper, rather than specialized pointe shoes. The technique was used to create the illusion of her sylph character floating across the stage, providing a stronger visual contrast to the movement of the Scottish man pursuing her. Additionally, the fitted bodice and airy, bell-like skirt worn as part of her costume became the prototype for the traditional tutu worn by ballet dancers for over a century. Marie remained active as a dancer, instructor, and choreographer for the next 40 years before she passed away in Marseille, France in April 1884 at the age of 79.