Charmed by 'Coppelia'

Last weekend, premiered their production of Coppelia: The Girl with Enamel Eyes. The ballet had been five years in the making.

With choreography by Oleg Gorboulev and Mara Vinson, sets by local artist Hita von Mende and gorgeous costumes by Margaretha Preston, the production was a visually stunning affair. Former Pacific Northwest Ballet principals Vinson and Le Yin anchored the production's strong dancing.

Set in a small Eastern European town, the story revolves around a local girl, Swanhilda (Vinson), and her boyfriend, Franz (Yin). In their village there is a house that belongs to a doll maker, Dr. Coppelius (Matthew Turnbull). Every afternoon, a beautiful young woman appears on his balcony reading a book. One day Swanhilda catchers Franz flirting with the young woman on the balcony, who does not return his advances. She is furious and confronts him, but he claims to love only her.

Later that evening, as Swanhilda’s friends are leaving her house, they find a key in the road and determine it goes to Dr. Coppelius’ workshop. They sneak in to find many dolls, including the girl from the balcony, who, to Swanhilda’s amusement, is actually a doll! As the girls explore the workshop Dr. Coppelius appears and they all run out—all except Swanhilda. She dresses in Coppelia’s clothes, tricking the doll maker that his creation has come to life. Eventually it is revealed that Swanhilda is posing as the doll and Franz, who also snuck into shop, is satisfied that the girl at the balcony was not real, and asks Swanhilda to marry him.

Vinson dances the role of Swanhilda beautifully, and is every much an actress as she is a dancer. Her expressions are entertaining, and she is fully engaged in the show even when she isn’t dancing. Yin proves an apt partner, guiding Vinson around the stage during their pas de deux, but Vinson’s strength is evident—she really doesn’t need a partner to support her. She was made to be on her toes.

Both dancers deliver strong solos at the end of the third act. Yin’s leaps and jumps were breathtakingly high. During one jump in particular, he seemed to defy gravity through sheer strength, staying in the air for just a few moments longer than seemingly possible.

The entire cast performed with enthusiasm, and Christine Hamstra was a stand out in the “Prayer” scene, giving a nuanced performance to a beautiful adagio. Hamstra travels well on her toes and never loses track of either her arms or feet. 

Younger members of the cast were clearly well trained, and the corps en pointe were able to execute difficult footwork with effortless ease.

A whimsical production that never lags or loses interest, Coppelia may have been a first for Olympic Ballet Theatre, but there’s no question that this won’t be its last showing for the company.