Coppélia, the comic ballet originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, premiered in 1870 at the Théâtre Impérial de l'Opéra. It is one of the greatest ballets of the 19^th century, marrying the French Romantic with the Russian Classical style. The romantic tale was created upon Charles Nuitter’s libretto, based on two stories: The Sandman and The Doll by E.T.A. Hoffmann. This delightful ballet tells the story of Frantz and Swanilda, two villagers, whose romance is challenged by a mad inventor’s game. Frantz being mesmerized by Coppelia, a beautiful woman that turns out to be a life-size dancing doll, causes mayhem in the couple’s romance and their upcoming wedding.

Today’s productions of the comic ballet are traditionally based on Marius Petipa’s restaged version from 1884, which has been adapted to ballet repertoires around the world.