Shanghai Ballet’s precise ‘Coppelia’

The Shanghai Ballet, dancing “Coppelia,” made its first local appearance at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Wednesday night, looking beautifully schooled and just the slightest bit stern in their pursuit of perfect placement and unison. It didn’t help that they were working with an oddly arid version of the ballet, but some moments of beautiful dancing still managed to shine through.

With his 1973 reworking of “Coppelia,” Pierre Lacotte wanted to get closer to the ballet’s original 1870 choreography, by Arthur Saint-Leon. Compared to more familiar “Coppelias,” he appears to have added more mime, subtracted many comic moments, and rendered group dances more static. Petipa-influenced versions by the National Ballet of Cuba and Inland Pacific Ballet, seen here in recent years, are much more charming and happily kinetic.

In the Lacotte, mime is done in rhythmic lock step, losing any sense of naturally motivated communication. Nor is there a sense of community in this ballet about two lovers who tease, engage in capers and publicly celebrate their wedding. Still, Fan Xiaofeng, as Swanhilda, and Sun Shenyi, as Franz, warmed up in their roles, dancing with feathery precision. Her stunningly articulate legs flew in high extensions and whipped into small flourishes; his airy leaps and concise double turns impressed. Zhong Min made an impish Dr. Coppelius.

Exactitude was the byword for the various corps mazurkas and lyrical third-act dances. When featured briefly, a male contingent looked particularly promising, although faces often were grim all around. A certain brightness of expression emerged during curtain calls, and one wished that that sense of ease could have pervaded more of the dancing presented by this clearly accomplished troupe.