Centrale Theatre, Carbonia: COPPELIA un ballet mécanique

An evocative performance exploring identity and the “mask” we wear, through a body that appears off balance—suspended like a marionette, yet able to find renewed strength in the many roles it embodies.

With Coppélia: un ballet mécanique, Mochi Sismondi places identity and mask at the heart of the narrative, portraying the female figure in the delicate tension between vulnerability and power.

Inspired by the ballet Coppélia, “the girl with enamel eyes,” the show blends classical and contemporary dance techniques with elements of contortion, highlighting the body and its poetic fragmentation.

The musical score, curated by composer Bea Zanin, reinterprets Delibes’ themes with refined touches of electronics and live cello. The reference to Fernand Léger’s Ballet Mécanique (1924), with its rhythmic patterns and tempo variations influenced by George Antheil’s compositions, introduces slow-motion sequences, accelerations, and “mechanical” details that enrich the visual experience.

Concept and Direction: Caterina Mochi Sismondi
Performers: Elisa Mutto, Michelangelo Merlanti, Vladimir Ježić, Carlos Rodrigo Parra Zavala, Simone Menichini, Jonnathan Lemos
On-stage Voice and Texts: Ivan Ieri
Rigging: Michelangelo Merlanti
Original Music from the Ballet Coppélia by Léo Delibes
Live Music and Electronics: Beatrice Zanin
Lighting Design: Massimo Vesco
Photography: Andrea Macchia
Production: Centro Nazionale di Produzione blucinQue Nice
In collaboration with Fondazione Cirko Vertigo

Performance: 19 December at 8:30 p.m., Centrale Theatre, Carbonia