It is the so-called “Golden Week” in Japan, national holidays where people enjoy the fine weather and go out to travel or see entertainment. But sadly, due to Covid-19 and its variant virus cases increasing, all entertainment in Tokyo has been closed. The National Ballet of Japan’s performances of Coppélia were cancelled, but Artistic Director Miyako Yoshida made the bold decision to stream all four performances – with four different casts – for free.
Roland Petit’s version of Coppélia entered the company’s repertoire in 2007 and this is the fourth time on the company's stage. Yoshida spoke at last year’s press conference how she was planning to invite Julio Bocca to coach these performances but, due to travel restrictions, this was not possible and the staging was done via Zoom by Luigi Bonino, Petit's longtime collaborator who has danced the role of Coppelius several times as a guest.
Set in a French town square instead of a rural village in Galicia, the pale pink and grey costumes and refined stage design (designed by Ezio Frigerio) add a chic, sugary flavour, with toy-ish soldiers and girls with painted cheeks. Delibes' impressive score begins here with the nostalgic sound of a barrel organ, giving the stage a picture book atmosphere.
Petit himself danced the role of the dollmaker Coppelius at the 1975 premiere, and his slightly dark, ironic version focuses on Coppelius as the centre of the plot. This Coppelius is no mad scientist, but an elegant and sophisticated gentleman, who loves Swanilda monomaniacally and creates a life-size doll that looks exactly like her. Shunya Nakajima, a young first artist, played this complicated role with much compassion, pathos and nuanced acting. The climax is a graceful pas de deux of Coppelius and the doll Coppélia, and Nakajima was skilled in waltzing with the doll with pure bliss and admiration. Coppelius meets a heartbreaking ending, where he is left alone and his beloved Coppélia breaks into pieces. Nakajima’s expression of grief, of losing his object of affection, alone on the empty stage, left a bitter feeling of loneliness and ageing, contrary to the happy young lovers. Although this was Nakajima’s first major role, his stage presence and expressive portrayal was a pleasant surprise.
The mischievous, jealous Swanilda was attractively played by Yui Yonezawa. Petit’s choreography, inspired by music hall dance, is not strictly classical but requires precise technique, with frequent off-balances, the use of shoulders and wiggling hips, and sixth position pas de bourrées. Yonezawa made every step and movement look so easy while adding much nuance and seductiveness. She especially shone in the Spanish and Scottish solos in Coppelius’ workshop, with crisp, fast footwork that destroyed his workplace. Her wedding solo was dazzling with perfection. And as this ballet requires a lot of acting, her enhanced facial expressions told us a lot about her ever-changing feelings, especially through close-ups on the screen.