Ballet de la Merlaison

The Ballet de la Merlaison (Ballet of the Blackbird Hunt) is a ballet de cour first performed on 15 March 1635 at the Château de Chantilly, during the reign of – and commonly attributed to – Louis XIII. It was later performed at Royaumont. “Merlaison” is a word coined by Louis to designate the feast which was held after a blackbird hunt. Louis created the scenario, wrote the music and the words, devised the choreography, designed the costumes, and danced roles as a woman, a merchant, a tax collector, and a mischievous blackbird, adept at avoiding traps. It is the most popular ballet performed during the reign of Louis XIII and marked an important development of the ballet de cour.