Now that we are in the final week of our Coppélia preparations, Dancing Arts Center would like to share some insight into the behind-the-scenes work of creating a full ballet from scratch. Our directors and students have been working non-stop for the past several months to bring Coppélia to life!
Rehearsals and Casting
In late February and early March, directors Gregg Saulnier and Patrick Notaro began rehearsals with Levels 3, 4, and 5 learning the ensemble pieces such as the Friends Dance and Mazurka in Act I and the Waltz of the Hours in Act III. In these first weeks, the directors also cast the featured parts and began working with dancers on their solo pieces. Soon after, the younger students in Primary, Level 1, and Level 2 started rehearsals for their scenes in Acts I and III. By late April, dancers had learned their solo parts and the ensemble pieces were set, so it was time to begin running “pull-together” rehearsals of all three Acts with Levels 3-5. At this point, the production still had many gaps in it, but with these rehearsals the directors and dancers began to get a feel for the pacing, how the pieces they’d been learning fit together, entrances and exits how to use the space, and which areas needed additional rehearsal. Over the following few weeks, Primary and Levels 1 and 2 joined rehearsals and dancers began working with their props. In the two weeks before performance, DAC alumnus Trevor PinterParsons (Franz) arrived to rehearse with Gabrielle Schmid (Swanilda) and attend the group rehearsals to fill in all the missing pieces.
Costumes, Sets, Props, and Production
Concurrent with nightly and Saturday rehearsals, DAC directors worked with professionals to design and create the costumes, sets, and props for the production. While Wardrobe Mistress Lori Rabeler and Mr. Saulnier collaborated in producing many of the costumes, Dancing Arts Center has been pleased to partner with André De Souza and his shop Le Grand Coroas in Sao Paulo, Brazil to produce stunning new costumes for Mazurka, the Friends, Waltz of the Hours, Dawn, Prayer, the Coppélia doll and Swanilda, and Franz – all coming together with some of DAC’s own wardrobe items to create a cohesive color palette. Alongside the costume development, the many props needed to tell the story and flesh out the production were found, made, and ordered with the help of longtime DAC partners Rich Greaves and Yolanda Daelemans, including stalks of wheat, flower baskets and garlands, Dr. Coppelius’s walking stick and key, and so on. Meanwhile, Mr. Greaves began creating new sets for the production, most critically Dr. Coppelius’s house with the window in which Coppélia sits – an important element of the story. Once pull-together rehearsals began, as the Stage & Production Manager Ms. Daelemans began attending to contribute her expertise and prepare for the final staging.
DAC extends our sincerest thanks to all the contributors who shared their skills and time to make Coppélia a professional production, including Felipe Puletini, founder and director of AMA Dance Theater in Mystic, Connecticut, who put us in touch with Mr. De Souza and translated during virtual meetings.
The Final Week
In the week leading up to the performance, the cast of Coppélia came together for two full in-studio rehearsals and one technical rehearsal at Ashland High School, the first times the group rehearsed the entire show from start to finish and the first time in the performance venue. These were extremely important rehearsals for all involved, allowing the dancers experience the pace of the three Acts in succession and the directors to identify what details needed focus in preparation for the in-theater dress rehearsal the morning before the performance, and for the performance itself.
As of this posting, the live show is only 4 days away! The cast, crew, contributors, and directors are working at fever pitch and excitement levels are high. We could not be more thrilled to debut Coppélia in our community with our talented dancers and the contributions of so many local professionals. Click here for tickets, or purchase at the door, and join us on June 12th at Ashland High School to experience this wonderful ballet!