The School of Ballet Arizona and the Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras will team up to perform one of the best-known comedic ballets.

Regularly performed around the world, “Coppélia” is a ballet that tells the story of a young man named Franz who is infatuated with a beautiful girl named Swanilda. However, Franz's attention is drawn to a mysterious girl named Coppélia, who is a life-sized doll created by the eccentric toymaker Dr. Coppélius.

As Swanilda becomes jealous and curious about this enchanting doll, she and her friends decide to sneak into Dr. Coppelius's workshop. There, they discover the secret of Coppélia's true nature.

“Coppélia” takes place on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix.

“Coppélia” represents the first “feminist” ballet, breaking the romantic tradition of portraying the female heroine as an otherworldly creature and replacing her with a witty, earthy woman, Swanilda, who knows how to get her way, according to a Ballet Arizona press release.

The story of “Coppélia” is taken from the short story “Der Sandmann” by E.T.A. Hoffman (1776-1822).

Tickets are available at https://balletaz.org/performance/coppelia/2025-05-31/ or by calling Ballet Arizona’s box office at 602-381-1096.