My First Ballet: Coppélia, Peacock Theatre

Watching a ballet for the first time is a truly magical experience. But sometimes the lengthy acts and complicated plot lines can confuse and alienate younger viewers. Which is why the My First Ballet series is such a blessing. English National Ballet presents these delightful productions, in which classic narratives are adapted for newcomers to ballet, and danced by promising second year students from the English National Ballet School.

While the dancing in these productions is no less captivating, and the music no less enchanting than that of conventional ballets, the action is accompanied by helpful narration, so that younger audiences can follow the story and really engage with its timeless themes.

Following the success of My First Sleeping Beauty and My First Cinderella at theatres across the country last year, the series continues with My First Ballet: Coppélia, which will run at the Peacock Theatre from 8 – 19 April, then complete a UK tour.

This lively rural comedy tells the tale of Dr Coppélius, a lonely and eccentric toymaker, who creates a life-like mechanical doll named Coppélia as a companion. After many experiments, he believes that his dream to bring her to life has finally come true, only to discover that he has been deceived by a pair of quarrelling lovers, in a hilarious case of mistaken identity.

Set to Léo Delibes' beautiful nineteenth-century score, this production is as charming and uplifting as it gets. Expect a happy ending and a fairytale marriage to top it all off.