Coppélia 2026 - Heartland Ballet
Rehearsals – Week 6
Monday, March 2
7:35-8:35pm – Mazurka, Swanhilda and Franz, Coppelia, Dr. Coppelius
Tuesday, March 3
7:35-8:35pm – Swanhilda and Franz, Dr. Coppelius
Wednesday, March 4
7:35-8:35pm – TBD
Coppélia Cast List
Swanhilda – Josephine McKeon
Franz – Thomas Vanderlinde
Dr. Coppelius – Tom Taylor
Swanhilda’s Friends – Nora Nieto, Paige Schweikert, Laurelyn Vanderlinde, Hattie Peterson, Emilia Histed, Madeline Gerdes
Mazurka – Annabelle McKeon, Soraya Munson, Angelina Steinlage, Serena Vosberg, Gillian Dowe, Claire Hillary, Ali Wethal, Sarah Blum, Elliana David, Miriam Keister, Elizabeth Kelsey, Jenna Smith
Dance of Flirtation – Aili Jones, Kate Poirier, Maddie Tracy, Elise Sheehan, Vivian Hoelscher, Eliza Lindsey
Village Youths – Elise Babler, Peyton Moran, Ireland Schrodt
Dance of the Wheat – Rory Davis, Ella Keeler, Lila Henn, Quinn Stumpf, Isla Von Mulert
Franz’s Friends – Ben Klavitter, Ethan Gerdes, Mack McKeon
Galician Men – Christian Meiers, Logan VanderBush, Taylor Rupp
Mayor – TBA
Coppélia – Violet Miller
Spanish Doll – Aili Jones
Irish Doll – Elise Sheehan
Automatons – Sarah Blum, Elliana David, Vivian Hoelscher, Miriam Keister, Eliza Lindsey, Ireland Schrodt
Chimes – Nora Nieto, Paige Schweikert
Dawn – Angelina Steinlage, Serena Vosberg, Gillian Dowe, Claire Hilary, Jenna Smith, Madeline Gerdes
Prayer – Annabelle McKeon, Soraya Munson, Maddie Tracy, Ali Wethal, Emilia Histed
Travail – Laurelyn Vanderlinde, Hattie Peterson, Kate Poirier, Elizabeth Kelsey
Discord – Ben Klavitter, Ethan Gerdes, Mack McKeon
Flower Girls – Elise Babler, Peyton Moran, Rory Davis, Ella Keeler, Lila Henn, Quinn Stumpf, Isla Von Mulert
Understudies
Swanhilda – Paige Schweikert
Franz – Logan VanderBush
Swanhilda’s Friend – Elizabeth Kelsey
Mazurka – Maddie Tracy
Flirtation – Serena Vosberg
Spanish Doll – Elliana David
Irish Doll – Vivian Hoelscher
Chime – Violet Miller
Dawn – Sarah Blum
Prayer – Eliza Lindsey
Travail – Elise Sheehan
The Story of Coppélia
Act 1:
Dr. Coppelius is a cantankerous old inventor who lives in the village of Galicia. One day, the villagers notice a beautiful girl sitting with a book in the window of his home. They believe she must be his daughter, Coppélia.
Swanhilda is perplexed when the strange girl ignores her friendly overtures. And she becomes angry when she sees her love, Franz, flirting with Coppélia.
The villagers dance a boisterous mazurka, and many couples dance flirtatiously, but Franz and Swanhilda continue to bicker. Village children bring out dried stalks of wheat to play a fortune-telling game. It is said that if you shake the wheat and hear a rattle, your love will prosper. Swanhilda’s wheat is silent—a very bad sign!
Youths gather the whole village to hear an announcement. The mayor has commissioned a bell for the village square, and any couple who chooses to marry on the day the bell is installed will receive a dowry. Everyone is excited, and many proposals of marriage are made. Franz tries to persuade Swanhilda to get married, but she remembers his flirting with Coppélia and refuses.
That evening, Dr. Coppelius leaves his house to have a drink at the tavern. Young men tease and harass him, and he ends up dropping his key on the ground.
Swanhilda and her friends discover the key and decide to enter the house to confront Coppélia. When Dr. Coppelius returns, he finds his door open and tiptoes inside. A moment later, Franz arrives with a ladder, determined to climb up to the window. If Swanhilda won’t have him, maybe he should propose to Coppélia!
Act 2:
Swanhilda and her friends enter Dr. Coppelius’ workshop to find it filled with life-sized dolls! Coppélia, too, they are shocked to discover, is only a doll, and the girls laugh at how they all were fooled. Dr. Coppelius returns and angrily chases them all out, but Swanhilda is trapped and hides in a cupboard.
Franz then enters through the window and Dr. Coppelius is surprised to find the young man wants to marry his “daughter.” He drugs Franz and brings out a book of magic. He will use a spell to steal Franz’s spirit in order to bring Coppélia to life!
When Dr. Coppelius brings Coppélia out of the cupboard, he doesn’t notice that it is really Swanhilda. She has dressed herself as Coppélia and begins to move and dance as if the spell has really worked. She decides to teach him a lesson—and Franz as well—about loving dolls more than people. Just when things begin to get out of hand, morning comes, Franz finally wakes up, and Swanhilda confesses to Dr. Coppelius who she is and what she has done. The old man is heartbroken to find his Coppélia has not come to life after all.
Act 3:
The day of the bell has arrived. Brides and grooms stand ready to be wed, including Swanhilda and Franz, who have reconciled, and the whole village is celebrating.
The Dance of the Hours begins: each variation celebrating moments of village life that will now be ordered and guided by the new bell, including Dawn, Prayer, Travail, and Discord. Swanhilda and her friends sincerely apologize to Dr. Coppelius for their pranks, and all ends happily for the village of Galicia.
Rehearsal Etiquette
Arrive about 15 minutes early to be fully ready to begin at your designated start time.
Dancers should be focused and prepared to memorize choreography. Many dancers write notes following rehearsal and review notes prior to the next week’s rehearsal.
Rehearsal dress code is less formal than class, but must be appropriate, form-fitting dancewear. Solid colored leotards (other than black) are allowed. Warm-ups are allowed if they do not impair dancing or visibility. Hair should be neat and off the face (bun not required).
Visitors are not allowed during rehearsals.
Parents and other family members are not allowed to observe rehearsals, but may pick-up dancers in the lobby or outside of the Grand.
Please be on time for pick-up at the end of rehearsal.
If your dancer is ill on the day of rehearsal, please email and/or call the studio to leave a message. Remember only ONE missed rehearsal is allowed.