Brazos Living - June 4, 2003
 

Festival Ballet production set

The Woodlands-

Festival Ballet, which includes dancers from Brazoria County, presents performances of "Coppelia" at 2 and 7 p.m. on June 14 in the McCullough Auditorum at the Bock Center for Performing arts

Can a mysterious, mechanical doll be a serious rival to a lovely young peasant girl? You bet, until things get straightened out in Coppelia, the storybook ballet Festival Ballet performs this June 14^th at the Bock Center for Performing Arts, McCullough Auditorium. And therein lies half the fun.

The ballet follows the adventures of the precocious young Swanilda as she attempts to find out the secret behind the mysterious Coppelia, a captivating beauty who sits on her balcony all day, catching the longing gazes of Franz, Swanilda's fiancé. Little does Swanilda know that Coppelia is a life-sized doll created by the eccentric Dr. Coppelius. Like The Nutcracker, the story is based on an E.T.A. Hoffmann fairy tale.

Festival Ballet artistic director Deborah Rayburn calls Coppelia “a sparkling mix of comedy, romance and intrigue, a perfect ballet to cap the season.” "Not only does Coppelia showcase classical ballet, but it also features colorful Slavic, Spanish, and Scottish style national dances," says Rayburn. "Coppelia is just as fun for the audience as it is for the dancers to perform."

As always Festival Ballet performances feature the best in professional Guest Artists and local area dancers. The Guest Artist's for this production includes Norbert Nirewicz (Columbia City Ballet).

These performances will include talented young dancers from The Woodlands, Montgomery County, Northern Harris County, and Brazoria County who have roles in Festival Ballet’s production.

Tickets may be purchased by phone at 281-292-9441, or online at ..\index.htm

For people who don't have prior experience with ballet but are interested in the art form, Coppelia is a great place to start!