All dolled up: Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico brings whimsical love story ‘Coppélia’ to KiMo

What do you do when your love rival is a doll? 

Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico choreographer Alex Ossadnik said “Coppélia” explores this question when Franz falls in love with a doll, leaving his betrothed, Swanilda, dismayed. 

Swanilda, played by Erika Ray, convinces the doll’s maker, Coppélius, to hatch a plot to convince Franz to choose her and let go of his obsession, Ossadnik said. 

The Ballet Repertory Theatre commissioned the show from Ossadnik in 2008, who added his own twist to the original 1870 ballet by Arthur Saint-Léon. He said in the original story, Coppélius is evil and trying to steal Franz’s soul. 

“My twist is he collaborates with Swanilda to make Franz choose the right girl,” Ossadnik said. 

He said in his version, he made Coppélius more human, believing it fits the ballet’s lightheartedness more. 

Ossadnik said the ballet is charming, entertaining, and most of all, funny. 

In one scene, Franz, who is a bit of a doofus, decides to bring the doll Coppélia flowers, Ossadnik said. As Franz delivers the flowers, he passes Swanilda, who assumes they are for her. However, he ignores her completely. 

“These are the little moments where the audience starts laughing, just because it’s unexpected,” he said. 

He said “Coppélia” is light, upbeat and filled with beautiful melodies and flows from one joke to the next.

The role of Coppélia is danced by Dagny Gellert. Ossadnik said throughout the ballet, Gellert has to move like a doll, but there are moments when everything freezes and she transforms into a woman and dances more freely. 

Throughout rehearsals, 
Ossadnik said, Gellert has embodied these pieces and has grown into the role. 

The ballet company has staged “Coppélia” several times over the years, Ossadnik said. He said from when he first choreographed it in 2008 to now, his tastes have changed and he has adjusted the show. 

“There was a time when I felt like there was too much stuff going on on stage, because I like to really reflect the music in my movement,” Ossadnik said. “However, it does sometimes distract from the action of the story itself.” 

Now, he said he has calmed things down and gotten better at keeping the audience focused on one part at a time. However, he has not taken away the colorful costumes and scenery throughout the ballet. 

“The whole workshop of the dollmaker is also very colorful because it was populated by a lot of dancers that are basically just dolls,” Ossadnik said. 

“Coppélia,” he said, might not be as popular a ballet as others, but it is one of his absolute favorites. Not only because it is funny, but also because it is uplifting.

“It does have some serene moments that remind us of what is important in life,” he said.

Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow from the New Mexico Local News Fellowship program. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.