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Alexandra Tomalonis
Reviews

Ballet Nacional de Cuba

“Coppelia”
by Alexandra Tomalonis
Special to The Washington Post
[November 22, 2001]

There’s a lot to like in the Ballet Nacional de Cuba’s spirited production of “Coppelia”, which the company danced Wednesday night at the Kennedy Center Opera House. For one thing, the company treats this work, which often serves as little more than a romp for young soloists, seriously; it’s chock full of dancing and a true ballerina vehicle.

Viengsay Valdés took full advantage of this from the moment she bounded on stage wearing a hot pink tutu rather than the usual ballet-peasant skirt. Valdés is an exceptionally strong technician with rock solid balances and a wonderfully springy jump. She’s also tireless, and seemed ready, at the ballet’s end, to tear through three or four more acts. As Swanhilda, the village teenager who teaches her philandering fiancé a lesson, her acting was a bit pouty--the comedy throughout this production is very broad--but her dancing was so full of joy this hardly mattered.

Frantz, said fiancé, whose flirtation with a girl who’s really a doll (the Coppèlia of the title) sparks the plot, was danced by Victor Gilí, the gruff Hilarion of Tuesday night’s “Giselle.” Gilí’s good-natured Frantz oozed charm; he simply couldn’t keep his hands or his eyes off women. Gilí danced his third act solo beautifully, hitting every position cleanly and dashing off a dazzling series of beats.

Though “Coppèlia” is a comedy about a young lover’s quarrel, it’s also about shattered dreams and self-delusion. The undertones of cruelty that enrich some productions are absent here, but as Dr. Coppelius, the old toy maker who tries to bring his favorite doll to life through black magic and near-murder, Félix Rodriguez was immensely touching and gave the production its soul.

As foolish and dangerous as the old man is -- he drugs Frantz and tries to steal the young man’s eyes, heart, lungs and liver to give his doll-creation life -- Rodriguez made the character appealing and understandable. We all have impossible dreams we dream of going to impossible lengths to fulfill. For the few moments when Coppelius thinks his magic has worked, as Swanhilda (who’s impersonated the doll to trick the toy maker) runs amok in the toyshop and the stage is bursting with dancing dolls, Rodriquez was giddy with happiness. His disappointment when he realized what has happened gave the ballet the momentary twinge of tragedy a great comedy needs.

All ends well, of course, with a wedding, and many dances. The sequence when six women, kneeling at their partners’ feet, launch themselves like little missiles, one by one, onto the men’s shoulders is certainly something to see. Hayna Gutiérrez was a rather sturdy Dawn, although with beautiful arms, and Ivis Diaz was an appropriately spiritual Prayer.

The company, directed by legendary ballerina Alicia Alonso, is caught in something of a time warp. Some old-fashioned virtues are quite welcome. The dancers have beautiful arms and upper bodies, all too rare elsewhere these days, and the character dancing was done with a zest that’s also rarely seen today. But many of the women’s poses, especially, matched photos from picture books from the 1940s, and their feet, despite attention to the small steps that are also often disregarded in contemporary ballet, are comparatively weak.

What makes the company so appealing is its belief in itself and what it does. It was wonderful to see a ballet mimed so clearly and brought to life with such freshness. Ricardo Reymera’s candy pink sets and colorful costumes suited the doll theme, and the toy shop second act was especially charming. Iván del Prado conducted Delibes’ beautiful score with as much care and love as the dancers danced it.