The Greater Niagara Ballet Company

The Greater Niagara Ballet Company brings Coppélia to the Artpark & Company Mainstage Theater for two shows on Saturday, Aug. 17. Ballet’s great comedy will be performed at 2 and 8 p.m.

Coppélia, with its roots tracing back to E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 19^th century “Der Sandmann,” is described by The Kennedy Center as “a story of mistaken identity and a beautiful mechanical doll.”

In the story, Coppélia sits on her balcony all day reading and speaking to no one. A boy named Franz falls truly in love with Coppélia and wants to marry her – even though he is already engaged. His fiancé, Swanilda, sees Franz throwing kisses at Coppélia, but she soon learns that Coppélia is actually a doll that belongs to Doctor Coppélius, the mad scientist! Swanilda impersonates the doll in order to win back Franz. Chaos ensues, but soon all is forgiven. Swanilda and Franz get married, and several festive dances celebrate the occasion.

Coppélia was originally choreographed and staged by ballet masters Arthur St. Léon, Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Enrico Cecchetti and George Balanchine.

Tickets for Coppélia are priced at $40 (adult grand tier center sections), $25 (adult first tier and grand tier far wings) and $15 (all children under age 12). A limited number of VIP tickets are available for just $10 more, and include a special post-performance meet-and-greet reception. Tickets are available at the Artpark box office and through www.tickets.com. Those purchasing 10 tickets will receive 10 percent off their total order.

Coppélia is presented by the Greater Niagara Ballet Company in conjunction with KeyBank and The National Ballet Institute through a grant from The Oliver G. & Sarah Sloan Bauman Fund for the Arts.

The Greater Niagara Ballet Company is proud to blend the modern needs of today with the timeless beauty of the classical arts. Under the direction of Beverley Feder, F.I.S.T.D., the not-for-profit company continues to provide local dancers with the unique and rewarding opportunity of developing their talents in a professional theatrical setting while working with trained dancers from all parts of the world.

Tickets are on sale now for our 2012 performance!

This year the Greater Niagara Ballet Company is proud to announce that it will be presenting its family classic, the Nutcracker, Friday, December 7th and Saturday December 8th to the delight of audiences in the Greater Niagara Region.

TICKET PRICES ARE AS FOLLOWS: