The enjoyment of the ballet Coppélia begins with the venue. The Boston Opera House is a beautiful and lofted hall with white stone carvings and a color theme incorporating rich reds and golds. One understands that he or she is going to be watching the elite; the Boston Ballet is one of the largest ballet companies in the world, and only the top dancers are invited to perform here.Coppélia story begins in Galicia with the introduction of the two main characters: Frantz, a village swain, and Swanhilde, a young girl who loves him. Frantz spots a beautiful and lifelike doll on the balcony of Dr. Coppélius' study and falls in love with it. Swanhilde, jealous of Frantz's attention to the doll, decides to enter Coppélius' home and discover for herself what the doll, named Coppélia, had that so entranced Frantz in the first place. Coppélius re-enters his study a little after Swanhilde finds the doll, but as he enters, she hides and discreetly switches places with Coppélia. Frantz also enters Coppélius' study through the balcony but then is drugged by Coppélius with a potion. Coppélius then brings out the now-transformed Swanhilde and tries to steal essence from the unconscious Frantz, thinking that his Coppélia would come to life. Suddenly, Coppélia (now Swanhilde) springs up, and after Frantz awakes from his slumber, they leave together. The doctor is left a broken man, finding that Coppélia really was not alive but is just an empty husk. Then the two lovers celebrate the Festival of the Bells with the rest of the town and are married by the burgomeister. The ballet ends with a great finale in which all the residents of the town come out in joyous celebration to dance and make merry.

Coppélia is borne on the tiny shoulders of Misa Kuranaga, a principal dancer from Osaka; seemingly lighter than air, she weightlessly captures the spirit of Coppélia in every leap and pose. And she gracefully transitions from charming and clever girl to poised and elegant woman with the rise of the third act curtain. Complementing the small and light Kuranaga is the solid and statuesque Nelson Madrigal. Confident and strong, his carriage is more substantial but still unforced in his execution. Boyko Dossev's Dr. Coppélius is funny, slightly menacing and a definitive character of the ballet. His exaggerated animation made his every moment on stage one of laughter.

The perception of the music of Coppélia is influenced greatly by its genre of performance. As a ballet is slightly less demanding of a viewer (one doesn't have to wade through the affected syllables and vowels of an opera singer or strive to glean significant dialogue), the music takes a backseat to the dancers. But in no means does it become a soundtrack. Its orchestration is sensitively attuned to the emotions and moods of what was happening on the stage, and the marriage between the choreography and the music itself is one of real artistic symbiosis.

The choreography evolves gracefully with the storyline as well. Act I is marked by great joyous group dances and cheerful, leaping pieces. Act II, inside Dr. Coppélius' studio, is marked by a decidedly smaller performance area and therefore requires much more exaggeration in terms of emotional expression. In any other case, the combination of reduced dancing and increased cartoonisms would hurt the performance, sending it more towards tackiness than art. But choreographers George Balanchine and Alexandra Danilova understand that in the case of Coppélia, understating the emotions would create more foolishness than the alternative. This story is a fairytale, and to be presented as anything less would ruin the lighthearted and fanciful feel of the tale.

Keeping in stride with the fairytale like atmosphere of Charles Nitter's book, the settings are in the style of European countryside cutouts. Each background of each act feels like an illustration in a children's fable book and highlights the uplifting music, dance and lighting. The colors of both the backdrops and clothing are dazzlingly rich, almost to the point of gaudiness, but they aren't unpleasant. Understanding that this ballet was adapted from stories written by E. T. A. Hoffman and that the source materials were whimsical in nature, the bright colors and lighting bring to mind a fable-like fantasy, perfect for Balanchine's premise.

Coppélia is lighthearted, fun and uplifting. A ballet of whimsicality and lighter-than-air dancing and music, it is enjoyable at every minute. Two-and-a-half hours seem to pass by in a flying instant and not once does one feel pressed into the seat with fatigue. Every minute of Coppélia is a quick-paced affair.