Sunday, September 22, 2013

Coppelia-National Ballet of Cuba

Last Thursday, Ben and I went to a performance of Coppelia by the National Ballet of Cuba, choreographed by Alicia Alonso. Coppelia is a comedic ballet, where a doll (Coppelia) captivates the hearts of her creator (Doctor Coppelius) and a young Franz. Swanilda, Franz's girlfriend is determined to show Franz his folly by dressing as the doll to prove that Coppelia is not a real girl, this ultimately saves the life of Franz, and the two are happily wedded at the end of the ballet. The premise rings true of a love-bot tale, and the comedic portrayal through ballet is charming. Coppelia should be on the top of any ballet enthusiasts list of ballets to see.
The National Ballet of Cuba's performance of Coppelia was remarkable. Yanela Piñera's performance as Swanilda was amazing, she is an incredible ballerina, who's range of character, and ability is awe inspiring. I can't imagine a better performance than that done by her. Paired with Arián Molina as Franz, The National Ballet of Cuba's performance of Coppelia is one of the best performances I have ever seen.
Many ballet companies I have seen, over stretch their ballerina's. They give them choreography that is too difficult, which not only can they not execute, but their performance becomes completely void of personality. The choreography of Coppelia was some of the most technical I have ever seen, but never for a moment was I unsure of what their character was telling me.
The National Ballet of Cuba is one of the best ballet companies in the world, I would gladly go to any performance by them. I am so glad I saw their performance of Coppelia. I know this will stand as one of the best performances I have ever seen, and feel so fortunate that I was able to go to a performance by The National Ballet of Cuba.

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