Oh what a doll! SF Ballet gives new life to ‘Coppelia‘
“Coppélia” has returned to the repertoire; and the company seemed utterly fresh and alive Tuesday, March 8, at the War Memorial Opera House.
[...] it was the manner in which the entire cast intuited and projected the joyous spirit of the comedy classic (in the 1974 version by Alexandra Danilova and George Balanchine) that made it all hum.
In this staging by Judith Fugate, the mime is clear and potent, but the real thrill here lies with the glittering ensembles that take your breath away, starting with the Act 1 Mazurka, which might have been choreographed by some celestial Busby Berkeley.
Balanchine returned to the original French “Coppélia” by retaining the Festival of Bells for the Act 3 Wedding Scene.
Much the way he did in his setting of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Balanchine disposed of the plot elements and then got down to the real bravura dancing.
[...] the drop-dead moment here is the waltz that brings on 24 girls from the S.F. Ballet School, all in pink tulle, all dancing with a precision and fluidity that simply captivated.
Roberta Guidi di Bagno’s storybook production, a co-commission with Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet, pleases the eye with its quirky buildings (which resemble an array of teapots) and Coppelius’ workshop with its mannequins hanging from the proscenium.
Balanchine prized Delibes’ ballet music, and you could hear why in Tuesday’s performance, notable for its ravishing horn playing.