<p>On September <a href="/en/afisha/performances/detail/1340373/" style="color: #8C1E46" >22nd</a> and <a href="/en/afisha/performances/detail/1340375/" style="color: #8C1E46" >23rd</a>, NOVAT presents the première of Léo Delibes’ ballet “Coppélia”, produced by the renowned choreographer Mikhail Messerer.</p><br /><br />
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<p>The most anticipated ballet première of the 74th season, <a href="/en/theatre/repertoire/koppeliya/" style="color: #8C1E46" >“Coppélia”</a> combines traditional choreography with high-tech design, by the artist Vyacheslav Okunev and the multimedia director Gleb Filshtinsky.</p><br /><br />
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<p>Mikhail Messerer: “There are only a few comic ballets in the classical ballet genre, and “Coppélia” is one of the most important among them. Today, audiences around the world are eager to watch classical ballets that show ballerinas’ complex pointe technique, and virtuoso male dancing—this is exactly what this cheerful, uplifting ballet is abundant in.</p><br /><br />
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<p><a href="/en/theatre/repertoire/koppeliya/" style="color: #8C1E46" >“Coppélia”</a> will compliment the part of the repertoire of NOVAT which is designed for younger spectators, and it will be an excellent occasion for a family visit to the theatre - there is no age restriction on this ballet. </p><br /><br />
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<p>The ballet is based on “The Sandman”, by E.T.A. Hoffmann, about a young man who falls in love with a mechanical doll created by the craftsman Coppélius. The original libretto for “Coppélia”, by Arthur Saint-Léon and Charles-Louis-Étienne Nuitter, reimagined Hoffmann’s dismal story and created an elegant comedy about the quarrel and reconciliation of lovers. Since it was created almost 150 years ago, “Coppélia” has been one of the most popular and admired classical ballets.</p><br /><br />
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<p>The producers of the new <a href="/en/theatre/repertoire/koppeliya/" style="color: #8C1E46" >“Coppélia”</a> at NOVAT have decided to add an aura of dreamlike mystery to the story. In this version, it is now Coppélius himself who creates “Coppélia”’s entire world and all its characters. </p><br /><br />
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<p>“Coppélius is the protagonist, an artist who has created this world of dancing mechanical dolls, and controls them. He loves his puppet-artists and, at the same time, puts them to the test,” said Gleb Filshtinsky. </p><br /><br />
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<p>In the evening première of <a href="/en/theatre/repertoire/koppeliya/" style="color: #8C1E46" >“Coppélia”</a> on September <a href="/en/afisha/performances/detail/1340373/" style="color: #8C1E46" >22nd</a> and <a href="/en/afisha/performances/detail/1340375/" style="color: #8C1E46" >23rd</a>, the roles of Swanilda and Franz will be performed by Anastasia Soboleva and Victor Lebedev — outstanding Russian ballet dancers, stars of the Mikhailovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre.</p>