Coppélia

C O P P É L I A
Comic Ballet in Three Acts

CHOREOGRAPHER & DIRECTOR
Ramon Moreno
Based on choreography by Marius Petipa

LIBRETTO
Charles Nuitter and Arthur Saint-Léon
Based on a story by E.T.A.Hoffmann

MUSIC
Léo Delibes

Coppelia is a charming romantic ballet full of joy and humor. A family favorite for over a century, this enchanting ballet tells a love story with a twist. Join us to watch the adventures of a young couple, Swanilda and Franz, who quarrel over a mysterious rival, Coppélia, daughter of Dr Coppélius, just to rediscover their love and commitment to each other and end in a joyful wedding celebration. Presented by the students of Ramon Moreno School of Ballet to the beautiful score by Léo Delibes, inspired by the music of Eastern Europe.

When:

Friday, May 5, 2023. 7:00 pm (Program)
Saturday, May 6, 2023. 7:30 pm (Program)
Sunday, May 7, 2023. 1:30 pm (Program)

Where: 

Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center
555 Middlefield Rd, Atherton, CA 9402

Performance Length:

Approximately 2 hours 15 minutes including two 15-minute intermissions.

Act I: 31 minutes, Act II: 32 minutes, Act III: 37 minutes

PLOT

Dr Coppélius, a skilled toymaker, makes a life-like mechanical doll Coppélia and fools the villagers into believing that she is his daughter. Swanilda’s fiancée, Franz becomes infatuated with the mysterious girl by the window of Dr. Coppélius’s house. In her frustration, Swanilda decides to uncover Coppélia’s secret. With her friends, she sneaks into Dr. Coppélius’s house and discovers that Coppélia is just a doll. When Dr. Coppélius returns, she hides Coppélia and disguises herself as her. At the same time, Franz also sneaks into the house to confront his beloved Coppélia. Furious, Dr. Coppélius captures Franz and tries to use magic to take away his soul and breathe life into his favorite doll. Swanilda, dressed as Coppélia, comes to life and rescues her betrothed, fooling Dr. Coppélius into thinking that he has succeeded. Franz wakes up and realizes his mistake. The young couple is reunited, and the wedding celebration follows shortly after.

BACKGROUND
Coppélia is one of the most important story ballets of the 19th Century, an esteemed classical work performed regularly since its creation. It was originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon in 1870 to the score of Léo Delibes with a libretto by Charles-Louis-Étienne Nuitter inspired by E. T. A. Hoffmann's short story The Sandman. It was then restaged by Marius Petipa for the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg in 1884 and revised by Enrico Cecchetti in 1894.

Please find more details at petipasociety.com/coppelia at the end of Background.

*Image Source: MutualArt-William Pitkin. Art images copyright© of artist or assignee.