Coppélia (sometimes referred to as The Girl with the Enamel Eyes) is a sentimental comic love story which will delight the whole family with its humor and charm.  Festival Ballet Theatre’s production is set to the lively music of Léo Delibes and choreography by Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla after Arthur Saint-Léon. Renowned guest artists are featured in the lead roles. The ballet premiered on May 25, 1870 at the Paris Theatre Imperial Opera.

Set in a small European village, this beloved ballet tells the story of an eccentric inventor, Doctor Coppélius. Franz, a young villager, becomes infatuated with the mysterious girl sitting on the balcony of Doctor Coppélius’s house. Franz doesn’t know that the mysterious girl is a doll whom the toymaker is trying to bring to life. Swanhilda, who is engaged to Franz, decides to sneak into Dr. Coppélius’s house with her friends where she discovers the mysterious girl is a doll. She decides to show Franz his folly by dressing as the doll and pretending to come to life. Love triumphs over all and the story ends with joyful celebration of the lovers’ wedding.