World Premiere Dr. Coppélius

Dr. Coppélius’ workshop is a vibrant world of mechanical marvels that stands in contrast to the ordinary village beyond. The quirky inventor is equally colourful and becomes the target of fear and ridicule amongst the villagers, especially the young lovers Franz and Swanilda. But Dr. Coppélius has a plan to challenge their assumptions, drawing them into his world with two mechanical dolls who spark surprising revelations. In the end, the villagers learn that being different is something to celebrate. 

• For her first full-length classical commission, Artistic Director Hope Muir intentionally selected a story ballet to welcome families and audiences new to the art form into the world of dance.
   
• The National Ballet performed Act II of Arthur Saint-Léon’s Coppélia in its very first year, 1951, followed by the full production in 1952.
   
• Like The Nutcracker, Coppélia is based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, in this case, The Sandman.
   
• A team of talented Canadian women, Dramaturge Eda Holmes, Set and Costume Designer Camellia Koo and Lighting Designer Bonnie Beecher, collaborate with Caniparoli to shape the vision for this exciting premiere. Together, they are crafting a vivid world of mechanical marvels inspired by 19th-century automata and the Bauhaus aesthetic.
  
  
• A specialist in narrative ballet, Caniparoli has created many full-length ballets including five different productions of The Nutcracker!

Val Caniparoli worked with San Francisco Ballet for over 50 years as a dancer, Resident Choreographer and Rehearsal Assistant, creating more than 100 works for ballet, opera, theatre, film and television worldwide. Caniparoli’s formative experience with Lew Christensen, who staged San Francisco Ballet’s first full-length Coppélia, gives him a close connection to this ballet.

French composer Léo Delibes transformed ballet music with his full-length symphonic scores for Coppélia and Sylvia, elevating it from mere accompaniment to an art form in its own right – a shift that influenced Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In Dr. Coppélius, Val Caniparoli augments along with his longtime music coordinator and advisor Ramona Pansegrau, the original score to Coppélia with additional music by Delibes and contemporary Ernest Guiraud.

Choreography:
Val Caniparoli

Composer:
Léo Delibes and Ernest Guiraud

Librettist and Dramaturge:
Eda Holmes 

Set and Costume Design:
Camellia Koo

Lighting Designer:
Bonnie Beecher

Music Coordinator and Advisor:
Ramona Pansegrau

Assistant to the Choreographer:
Maiqui Mañosa

World Premiere: The National Ballet of Canada, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, March 13, 2027 

Produced and commissioned by The National Ballet of Canada. 

Dr. Coppélius is supported by The Anna McCowan-Johnson New Creations Fund.