We are delighted to announce that Scottish Ballet’s Coppélia, commissioned by Edinburgh International Festival for 2022, has been shortlisted for the 2021 FEDORA Ballet Prize.

The FEDORA Platform showcases and supports excellence and renewal in the field of opera and ballet, with a mission to increase accessibility and reach out to a wider audience.

Planned to show at the 2022 International Festival, Scottish Ballet’s new version of Coppélia will blend location and real-time filming with projection and live performance.

This innovative new production will be choreographed and directed by UK-based duo Jess & Morgs. Building on their previous films for Scottish Ballet (Tremble, The Secret Theatre), Jess & Morgs will explore the relationship between the real and the virtual through their playful use of the camera, creating a unique experience for a live theatre audience.

The original Delibes score will have a new arrangement, performed live by the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.

Founded in 1969, Scottish Ballet celebrated 50 years as Scotland's national dance company throughout its 2019/20 season. The company has performed at the International Festival fourteen times since the 1970s, most recently in 2019 with the world premiere of Helen Pickett’s The Crucible, which played to sold out audiences and broke recent attendance records, and the filmed performance of Nicholas Shoesmith’s Catalyst in our 2020 digital programme My Light Shines On.

“Everyone at the International Festival is delighted to build on our longstanding relationship with Scottish Ballet,” said Fergus Linehan, Director of Edinburgh International Festival. “In recent years they have presented the full-length ballet version of The Crucible (2019) and Catalyst (2020), a digital performance made exclusively for our My Light Shines On season.”

Christopher Hampson, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet said: “We are delighted to be presenting the world premiere of Coppélia at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2022. As a company we are committed to continuing to push the boundaries of technology within our work through digital creativity and live performance. We are thrilled to be building on our collaboration with filmmakers Jess and Morgs, and excited to combine elements of digital and dance, as we present the two live on stage.”

Choreographers and Directors Jess & Morgs said: “Coppélia is a rich tale, both playful and dark, which asks questions about our obsession with technology and our own humanity. It's a story fitting for our digital age and the perfect vehicle to continue our relationship with Scottish Ballet.”

Find out more about the production over on Scottish Ballet's website and donate to making Coppélia accessible as part of the 2021 FEDORA Ballet Prize here.