Choreography: Pierre Lacotte after Arthur Saint-Léon
Composer: Léo Delibes
Libretto: Charles Nuitter and Arthur Saint-Léon
Stage and costume design: adapted from the original Parisian designs (1870) by Pierre Lacotte

Dr Coppélius, a crazy old professor yearning for love, makes himself a doll that looks so real that Franz, who is in love with Swanilda, fails to recognise the deception and sets aside his heart’s true desire.
Inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story "The Sandman", a doll conquered the dance stage in 1870 with "Coppélia". Set to Léo Delibes’s captivating music, the ballet deals with ideals and the power of fascination of lifelike technology, as well as with worries, disaffections and the hubris of the man who acts as creator. Pierre Lacotte, who is known for his faithfully detailed restorations of classic works, revived the choreography of Arthur Saint-Léon and restructured the long-lost third act as a glittering finale.