Balanchine had a reputation as the father of neoclassical ballet, and his trademark works were his black and white leotard works like Agon and Four Temperaments. But a part of him also adored old-fashioned Petipa classics. In 1974, he and Alexandra Danilova (a famous Swanilda in her day) staged a full-length Coppélia. It is the 50th anniversary of this staging, and NYCB has decided to revive the production.
What is remarkable about Danilova/Balanchine’s Coppélia is how unremarkable it is. And I mean that in a good way. This production is modeled on the Petipa original and resembles ABT’s production by Freddie Franklin, The Royal Ballet’s production by Ninette de Valois, and the Bolshoi’s reconstruction. The sets and costumes have an old-fashioned, picturesque look. All the traditional mime is there. Swanilda rattles an ear of corn to her head to see if Franz loves her. The Swanilda-as-Coppélia dances in the second act are exactly what you’d expect. The mazurka and czardas in the first act look like a mazurka and czardas, replete with old-fashioned folk costumes. Balanchine trusted the material and didn’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel.
I attended two performances: the Saturday afternoon and the Sunday performance. Both were a ray of sunshine on otherwise dreary, rainy afternoons. In the Saturday performance, Tiler Peck reprised her well-loved Swanilda portrayal, but this time her real-life partner and fiancé Roman Mejia, was making his debut as Franz. Mejia made Franz the village playboy. He preened and smoothed his hair to impress the ladies. He looked like he was having fun and it showed. Of course, Peck and Mejia were impeccable technically. Both of them combine bravura technique with a penny-whistle clean classicism. Mejia’s ability to land gravity-defying jumps in fifth position is something I haven’t seen since maybe... Herman Cornejo (a dancer Mejia actually strongly resembles both in appearance and skill-set).
Peck plays Swanilda as somewhat hard-boiled and feisty. In the first act, she really gets angry at Franz. If you like your Swanildas to be cuter and more childlike, this wasn’t the Swanilda for you.
In the Sunday performance, Megan Fairchild was exactly the sort of sweet, cute Swanilda that Peck’s wasn’t. Anthony Huxley played Franz as earnest and romantic, whereas Mejia was a smooth charmer. Fairchild has more natural wit as the doll (it helps that her face naturally looks extremely doll-like), but Peck has a meaner edge that fascinates. Both are valid artistic approaches and both couples were wonderful.
The only bit of “original” Balanchine choreography was the divertissements in the third act wedding. The Dance of the Hours with 24 children is just delightful. Fairly simple choreography on the surface, but the kaleidoscopic, weaving patterns are pure Balanchine. The SAB students were so well-trained and already displaying the musicality at the heart of Balanchine choreography. The variations in both performances were well-danced. Miriam Miller was outstanding in the Prayer variation of the Sunday performance, while Alston Macgill was spritely and fast in the Spinner variation on Saturday afternoon.
Both Adam Hendrickson (Saturday matinee) and Robert LaFosse (Sunday) were memorable as Dr Coppélius. Hendrickson was more bitter, LaFosse more eccentric.
Remember when I said that ballets like Duo Concertant are overprogrammed? Coppélia is under-programmed. It was last done in 2018. This time, performances are nearly sold-out, and the afternoon performance I went to, was full of parents with children. They loved it. I myself am bringing my mother to see it next week, and my mother never goes to the ballet. Coppélia is a gift from Balanchine and Danilova to classical ballet, 50 years strong.
