REVIEW: Futuristic Scottish Ballet’s Coppelia leaves audience in a spin at His Majesty’s Theatre

By Rosemary Lowne

September 30 2022, 6:00 am

Scottish Ballet brought Coppelia, their most ambitious work yet, to the stage of His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen.

If you were expecting tutus and tradition then you may have been in shock when Scotland’s national dance company pirouetted onto the stage for their otherworldly production of Coppelia.

Far from the glitz and glamour of The Nutcracker, this bold ballet is seriously dark, dynamic and like a cutting-edge sci-fi/dance movie.

Transporting the audience into a world of artificial intelligence – a world that scarily doesn’t seem too far off – Coppelia tells the story of Silicon Valley’s hottest new inventor Dr Coppelius and his latest AI creation ‘Coppelia’.

Scottish Ballet transported the audience into another world with their dynamic new production. Photo supplied by Scottish Ballet.

Dancing robots

Described as Scottish Ballet’s most ambitious production yet, the groundbreaking show features live cameras, pre-recorded film and real-time footage adding an exciting new dimension to dance.

But as much as the digital side of the production was highly impressive, it was the dancing robots, clones and avatars who were simply out of this world.

Coppelia was a visual feast for the eyes. Photo supplied by Scottish Ballet.

Unable to tear my eyes away from their impossibly pointy toes and gravity defying leaps, a special mention has to go to the two lead dancers who were utterly mesmerising to watch.

Next generation ballet

Lasting an hour and a quarter with no interval – something I think works very well – the curtain comes down before I’m ready for it.

It was impossible to take your eyes off the sensational dancers. Supplied by Scottish Ballet.

Seeing the standing ovations and listening to the rapturous applause reverberating around the majestic theatre as the cast took their final bows, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one whose breath was taken away by this incredible show.

“It’s ballet for the next generation,” excitedly remarked my friend.

Change is good

The two girls sitting next to me were equally in awe by the production which they described as “incredible”.

Change is something that many people resist but it’s refreshing to see that Scottish Ballet is bringing a new dimension to dance which is sure to inspire the younger generation.