Reimagined but happily familiar: Coppélia by KVN Dance Company

Marylebone Theatre, London
April 24, 2024

When I first heard how the choreography in Kevan Allen’s version of Coppélia mixed classical ballet, contemporary dance and hip-hop, I admit, I had my doubts. But Allen, and the KVN Dance Company dancers make it work wonderfully.

The show is engaging from the very first second. The first few minutes are rich in choreography and composition as the opening scene presents all the individual characters, each with their own unique quirks and personal dancing style. I wish I could press ‘rewind’ to watch these again and discover a million new things.

Allen’s choreography is intricate and carefully put together. Drawing on his wide-ranging experience, he switches from classical ballet technique to hip-hop or contemporary cleanly and cohesively. That’s quite a challenge and calls for a lot from the dancers. It requires them to be very versatile and precise, as they switch from total extension of body and limbs to groovy, grounded moves.

Everyone delivers wonderfully, allowing the audience to sit, relax and enjoy the equally good storytelling. And while Allen may have reimagined Coppélia, he has retained the story as everyone knows it.

There is an interesting divide between characters of what might be called ‘higher’ status, who dance mainly ballet, and the more working class and mechanical dolls, who deliver more modern choreography. In the latter, the use of body part disassociation and extreme elasticity really brought the mechanical dolls to life.

Among many highlights is the intricate and dynamic pas de deux for Swanhilda, Ellie Fergusson, and Franz, Zach Parkin.

Elsewhere, the dancers´ facial expressions were a delight. Special mention here to Oliver Imeson and Sophie Tierney, the Pumpernickel couple, who maintained their theatricality throughout their difficult choreography.

Also reimagined is the music. But again, it’s still familiar. And it’s just as great as the dancing. Rickard Berg has creatively maintained Delibes’ iconic numbers from the ballet, remixing them to arrive at a more street and modern vibe. Together with the beautiful costumes and the lighting, it completely transports the audience into the tale.

As brilliant as Fergusson and Parkin are, I was left wanting to see more of the other characters, each of whom comes with a lot of individuality. The little snippets we got from them did not feel like enough, with the exception of Micheal Downing’s Dr. Coppélius, who is fleshed out more than usual. I wanted to see more of the talented Rosie Southall (Coppélia) and Taz Hoesli’s (Inga) energy and sense of rhythm. But then Franz and Swanhilda have always dominated the ballet.

Overall, Kevan Allen’s Coppélia is a beautiful show; one where everything comes together to deliver a must-watch performance. Highly recommended.

Coppélia by KVN Dance continues on tour to June 30, 2024. Visit www.kvndancecompany.com for dates and venues.