San Francisco Ballet's Coppelia

This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking 22 of my students to see San Francisco Ballet's production of Coppelia.  Despite the few bathroom trips that proved to be the logistical equivalent to herding cats, I was one proud teacher parading my well dressed, adorable, and well behaved students through the San Francisco Opera House.  Their excitement and awe was gratifying, watching them literally hang on to the edges of their seats in order to get a better view was a very heartwarming thing to see.

Photo by: Eric Tommason

The story of Coppelia is a fun one, if you don't know the story, click here.  I'm not a huge fan of the Romantic brooding ballets such as Giselle and Swan Lake, I prefer more light hearted pieces, and Coppelia definitely fits the bill.

On Sunday's matinee Maria Kochetkova played Swanhilda (who is actually the main character of the ballet, despite the title of the ballet).  She was a lovely and playful Swanhilda, bringing vibrant jumps onstage, and a series of jumps en pointe in Act III that made me clap with appreciation halfway through her variation (one of my students whispered to me "You're not supposed to clap yet Miss Katrena".  I couldn't help myself, it was great!  Swanhilda's lover Franz was played by Gennadi Nedvigin, who was also playful in his demeanor, and played a perfect flirt.  He as well brought some soaring leaps, tours, and clean double and triple turns to the stage.  Together, they were a cute pair, their onstage chemistry was flirty and fun.  Dr. Coppelius was played by a grumpy but charming Damian Smith.  Smith did a great job of playing an old man obsessed by his habits and hobbies, yet still found a way into the audiences heart as a rather silly, but tender old man.  I always have a special admiration for dancers who can really inhabit their character and bring its personality to the stage.

Act I opened to gorgeous sets of Swanhilda's village.  The sets (and gorgeous costumes) were designed by Roberta Guidi di Bagno were richly colored and vibrant; a happy setting to match the plot of this ballet.  My favorite part of Act I was the character dancing.  (Think traditional folk dancing from areas such as Hungary, Poland and Russia).  Coincidentally enough, the RAD teacher training program I'm doing teaches character dances such as what was performed in Act I in its syllabus; 2 weeks ago when I was in Toronto for a training I studied these forms in great detail.  I'm happy to report that I was thoroughly impressed with the dancers representation of the style of dance.  If done properly, it's exciting, elegant and gives the entire ballet dimension.

Act II finds Swanhilda and her friends exploring Dr. Coppelius' house and all his dolls and toys.  Swanhilda's friends (made up mostly of dancers from the corps) were quite charming, again I was impressed with the characters each of them inhibited and brought to the stage.  There was a nice variety of the spunky and outgoing friends, to the shy and timid ones.  This individuality can often be lost in a group of dancers in the corps, it was refreshing to see it done so well.  As Act II closes the audience becomes aware that Coppelia is not a person at all, but a doll of Dr. Coppelius' making and imagination.

Act III is the wedding scene where Franz and Swanhilda come together with villagers to celebrate their union.  Again there was some fantastic character dancing, but I was a bit disappointed in the story telling (or lack thereof) in this final act.  Traditionally, Dr. Coppelius demands to be repaid for the damage that Swanhilda and her friends caused in his house and is devastated at loosing his favorite doll Coppelia.  Franz and Swanhilda give Dr. Coppelius their dowery money and Dr. Coppelius joins in the festivities and flirtations with Swanhilda's widowed mother.  This element of the story was not clear at all, Dr. Coppelius seemed to just rush onstage and shake hands with a few people before exiting for the rest of the Act.  That's my only one complaint about the third act, otherwise it featured some beautiful variations by soloists and a wonderful group piece by students of the San Francisco Ballet School, not to mention an impressive pas de deux beteween Franz and Swanhilda.

I highly recommend Coppelia, especially for kids.  It's one of the best children's ballets I think, and I can assure you that my students were thrilled to watch it and be a part of it, and I was so glad that I was able to experience it with them!  Want another opinion?  Here's a great review by Geri Jeter http://calitreview.com/14985