As Dancing Arts Center prepares to present our first full-length production of Coppélia, our students are hard at work learning their parts, we’re busy creating costumes, props, and sets, and we’re excited to share this timeless story with our audience!
Coppélia is a comedic ballet in three acts, first performed in 1870, then staged by Marius Petipa in the later 19th Century. With music by French composer Léo Delibes, like The Nutcracker the ballet’s story is based on one by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Set in a small European village, the main characters are the young maiden Swanilda, her fiancé Franz, and Dr. Coppelius with his “daughter” Coppelia, who unbeknownst to the townspeople is a life-sized doll. In modern terms, we might consider Coppélia a bit of a “girl power” story, because Franz gets himself into trouble and Swanilda saves him, rather than the other way around.
Act I is set in the town square, where Coppélia sits in the window of Dr. Coppelius’s workshop. Swanilda dances her happiness over her upcoming marriage to Franz but becomes angry and disappointed when she sees him trying to catch Coppélia’s attention and blowing her kisses. As the scene progresses, Swanilda’s friends dance with and comfort her, strange explosive sounds come from Dr. Coppelius’s house, and after a little roughhousing from Franz and his friend, Dr. Coppelius drops the key to his workshop. Swanilda and her friends find the key and sneak in. A few minutes later Franz makes his way in through a window, hoping to finally meet Coppélia.
In Act II, Swanilda and her friends explore Dr. Coppelius’s workshop of animated dolls, discovering that Coppélia is also a doll and not the doctor’s daughter. When Dr. Coppelius returns, he chases the girls away while Swanilda hides. The doctor finds Franz and lures him into unconsciousness with poisoned wine, intending to use his book of spells to animate Coppélia with Franz’s life force. Swanilda pretends to be the doll but takes every opportunity to revive Franz, eventually disrupting the workshop by turning on all of the dolls in an attempt to free Franz and escape. Finally, Swanilda reveals that she’s taken the place of Coppélia, Dr. Coppelius realizes his mistake, and pleads forgiveness for his actions.
As Act III beings, the young couple’s quarrel is forgotten. Swanilda and Franz are married by the town mayor, the townspeople dance in celebration of the new bell for the church tower, and all live happily ever after.
We hope to see you at Ashland High School on June 12th for Dancing Arts Center’s Coppélia!