Here is the summary I read before attending this performance:  "The captivating ballet Coppélia is a light-hearted fairy tale that brings together a beautiful life-like doll, bickering young lovers Frantz and Swanilda, and the eccentric Dr. Coppélius, a mad inventor whose mysterious workshop often gives the village cause for alarm, which ensues in comic chaos. With its joyful dance, charming music of Léo Delibes, and stunning sets and costumes, Coppélia will enchant people of all ages."  That was the promise, and that was exactly what I got.

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I am almost completely unfamiliar with ballet repertoire, and so when Coppélia was billed as a “light-hearted fairy tale,” I imagined a showcase for the children of a ballet school.  What I discovered was a professional presentation of a classic ballet, performed by 6 guest artists with impressive resumes and a company of 17 very accomplished, mature dancers.  The children were there, too, and contributed in many ways, but for all the whimsy of the plot, this was a serious production.  The libretto was built on the delightful music of Léo Delibes which was, of course, recorded.  Still, it was an excellent recording, such that the music itself provided much of the pleasure of this performance.  But there were so many other elements, not the least of which were the colorful and creative sets and costumes.

But this performance was all about the dancing, and the dancing was superb, with the choreography itself providing constant visual variety.  As a mere novice when it comes to ballet, I didn’t know what I was looking at, but the action on the stage captured and held my interest.  To some extent this was due to the easily followed and charming plot, but more fundamentally, it was the artistry of the choreographer, Pamela Hayes, and her dancers that made it so engaging.  I was especially impressed by the ensemble dancing, typically precise and energetic, though the principals, Sara Beth Kosterman and Kristoffer Reyes really shone in their roles of Swanilda and Frantz.

Children were introduced through minor roles at various points in the production, and they appealed to more than the family and friends in the audience.  Many demonstrated what they have been learning as ballet students and budding actors, though some were essentially walk-ons – but awfully cute walk-ons.  At one point a bevy of little girls were waving to the mechanical doll Coppélia as she sat in an upstairs window.  One little girl at the back wasn’t waving and just seemed swept up in the excitement of being on stage.  A young woman leaned down and whispered in her ear – obviously coaching her to wave.  Instead of waving at Coppélia in the window, the little one turned and waved to the audience with a big smile.  I have to believe it was unplanned, but were I the director, I would have her do it that way again for the evening show – it was precious.  Actually, there was quite a bit of gentle humor in the production, and it complemented nicely the elegance of the dancing.

Throughout this performance the set, props, costumes and dancing provided a lot of visual interest.  But the second act raised all that to a higher level.  It took place in the toymaker’s workshop, and there were especially interesting elements to engage one’s attention:  props that hung from the flytower, thirteen children dressed like toys who remained remarkably stationary throughout most of the act, an adult dancer wrapped head to foot as if the first stage in making a doll, and action that was a bit more comic and frenetic than that of the first act.  So much was going on that I could hardly bear to look away to take notes about what I was observing.  It was in this act that I took special note of the remarkable talent of Sara Beth Kosterman – I found myself in awe of her grace and control.

The third act was a little bit of a let-down for me.  Representing the wedding of the two principal characters, there seemed to be a departure from dramatic action as the relatively bare stage was taken over by one after another of numerous groups of dancers.  Of course, it was all done with the artistry that characterized this entire show, but to me it felt a bit contrived – even though I later learned that these dances were not inserted but an integral part of the ballet as originally conceived for its premiere in 1870.