La Vivandière

This excerpt from La Vivandière, a ballet in one act with a libretto and choreography by Arthur Saint Leon, was first presented in May, 1844, at Her Majesty’s Theater in London, and starred the celebrated Italian ballerina, Fanny Cerrito.

The ballet is set in a little village in Hungary, where Kathi, a camp follower, loves Hans, the son of a tavern keeper. This ballet became famous as it introduced the “Redowa,” the original Polka of Bohemia, to 19th century London.