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Peggy Van Praagh directs Coppélia, a ballet by Arthur Saint-Léon inspired by Hoffmann’s haunting short story The Sandman. The story narrates the adventures of Swanilda (played by the sublime Ako Kondo) and Franz (the majestic Chengwu Guo), two lovers put to the test by the magician Dr. Coppelius, a manufacturer of automaton dolls. In Van Praagh’s production, Franz falls under the spell of Coppélia, the daughter of the ill-intentioned Coppelius. Swanilda manages to save her fiancé from a sinister fate, and the two lovers marry and seal their union with a tender pas de deux. The magnificent décor of the Sydney Opera House, the sumptuous costumes by Kristian Fredrikson, and the highly theatrical nature of the ballet and the music by Léo Delibes make it easy to be swept away into this magical world!