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Coppélia 50

Celebrating 50 years of George Balanchine’s Coppélia

Good luck gesture between Shaun O’Brien and Patricia McBride before the World Premiere Performance of Coppélia at SPAC, July 17, 1974 Choreography by George Balanchine and Alexandra Danilova after Marius Petipa Music by Léo Delibes Photo by Skip Dickstein Courtesy SPAC Archives

On Display July 9-13 in the Hall of Springs’ Gold Room

The exhibition will be on display 2 hours prior to all New York City Ballet performances and is free to all ticket buyers.

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of George Balanchine’s Coppélia with a special VisualArts@SPAC exhibition, Coppélia 50.

On July 17, 1974, New York City Ballet’s Coppélia had its world premiere at SPAC. It was the first ballet commissioned by SPAC and has remained a beloved classic, delighting audiences in Saratoga and Lincoln Center for fifty years. To the mark the anniversary, SPAC presents Coppélia 50, a special exhibition showcasing costumes and photos from the world premiere.

See a compelling display of iconic New York City items including costumes worn by ballerinas Patricia McBride, Stephanie Saland and Marnee Morris; one of a kind children’s costumes from the 1974 premiere; photos from rehearsals at SPAC in advance of the premiere, and additional performance photos from the New York Public Library and legendary dance photographer, Martha Swope.

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