Jean-Christophe Maillot's Coppél-i.A. — Music by Bertrand Maillot after Léo Delibes

In a transhuman society fascinated by machines and artificial intelligence, is there still a place for imperfection and human desire? Prolific choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot explores these increasingly relevant questions in Coppél-i.A., his modern revision of Coppélia, one of the most emblematic ballets of the Romantic period set to music by Léo Delibes.

Swanilda and Frantz are engaged to be married, but Frantz’s head is turned by Doctor Coppélius’s strange daughter. Swanilda finds her way into the scientist’s workshop and discovers that the young girl is, in fact, a humanoid robot. Like Pygmalion, Coppélius has built an idealized being, perfectly designed with a dehumanizing flawlessness that mesmerizes the young Frantz. Librettist Charles Nuitter drew inspiration for this fantastical tale from E. T. A. Hoffmann's short story, The Sandman. Jean-Christophe Maillot transforms the 19th century fable into a contemporary, dystopian ballet using a remixed version of Delibes’s music composed by his brother Bernard Maillot, as well as stripped-down, futuristic costumes and decor. Coppélia herself is transformed into Coppél-i.A, whose artificially manufactured beauty, intelligence, and identity reflect ever-relevant themes in today’s world.