West Point Ballet Presents

Coppelia

May 21-22, 2025

Production Acknowledgements

Owner and Artistic Director:

Juliana Vorkink Martin

Associate Director of Performances: Hannah Hurd

Music: Leo Delibes, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra

Choreography: Staged by Juliana Vorkink Martin, Hannah Hurd, and West Point Ballet Faculty

Special thanks to...

*Our incredible faculty: Juliana Vorkink Martin, Hannah Hurd, Sharlee Peay, Lisa Vorkink, Madyson Wurtzbacher, Kalise Child, Faith Hortin, Megan Fuhriman, Addy Boll, Amber Miller, Mercedes Stout, Abbie Perry, Meleah Paishon, Sara Mills, Jessie Salter

*Our amazing admin team: Carole Bingham, Ashley Chappel, Rocio Holker, Jenni Sperry

*All of our parents, parent volunteers, chaperones, and backstage helpers

*Guest artists: Bashaun Williams, Dusty Stout, Landon Peay, Nik Fields, Zach Facer
*Lighting Designer: Riley Merrill
*Sound Engineer: William Peterson
*Rail Operator: Ian Rausch

*Coordinator: Carole Bingham
*Costume Coordinator: Rocio Holker
*Seamstress: Rebecca Burton
*Stage and Production Manager: Lisa Vorkink
*Hallway Manager: GeriLynn Vorkink
*Volunteer Manager: Carolyn Nottingham
*Volunteer Coordinator: Ashley Chappell
*Floor installation: Mike Martin, Ben Chappell
*Videographer: Matt Hepworth
*Photographer: Sharlee Peay Photography

*Set improvements: Steve and Mary Burton

*Annie Brennenman
*Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center Event Manager: Tyler Smith
*Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center Technical Director: Ryan Smythe
*Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center staff
*ArtTix staff

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From the Artistic Director:

Dear family, friends, and supporters,

Welcome to our performances of Coppelia! I am thrilled that you are in attendance to support our incredible dancers as we present Coppelia for the first time.

The choreographic process has been unique for Coppelia. I have learned a lot about our students, myself, and classical ballet storytelling. While it is a straightforward and silly story, there are many characters, transitions, and nuances in the mix that have proven challenging to convey to the audience. I am really proud of how our dancers have taken on the responsibility of telling this story. It is incredible to see how far our dancers and program have come since our very first story ballet, Peter and The Wolf, back in 2021. (Who was there?!) Our dancers’ ability to dig into a role, commit to their character, and be creative has impressed me so much. I love seeing their artistic growth and exploration.

Another interesting element about Coppelia is how much our guest performers are involved in telling this story. It has been a really fun and rewarding experience to collaborate with these gentlemen to bring this story to life. Their professionalism and dedication has elevated this performance and inspired all of us. I am so grateful that they have made the time to be part of this production.

Coppelia also has a strong character dance influence, which is near and dear to my heart as a former character dancer. I have waited many years to be able to put ensemble-style character dance pieces on stage, like Mazurka, which you will see tonight. I have enjoyed sharing my passion for character dance with so many of our students in Coppelia. It is a bucket-list moment for me.

I would like to thank my amazing faculty for their time, talents, and energy. Their creativity, vision and problem-solving skills are unparalleled. We would not be here without the class parents and other volunteers for contributing their time this week. I also want to recognize many members of my own family for their continued support and manpower to help these performances be successful. Especially my wonderful sister-in-law Lisa, who graciously stepped in as our Stage and Production Manager at our first performance back in 2019, has not left my side since, and is dedicated to making our productions as professional as possible.

Thank you to my Associate Director, Hannah, whose unwavering faith in us, imagination, resourcefulness and commitment to story-telling excellence has bridged the gap thousands of times over the years and helped bring so much magic to life. Thank you to my husband Mike, without whom West Point Ballet would never have gotten off the ground. Plus everyone would quite literally be dancing on the ground without his dance-floor-installation prowess.

Finally, thank you parents for your faith in me and support of this program. It has been a wild and wonderful seven years so far. I am looking forward to what's to come for West Point Ballet.

Enjoy the show!

Warmly,

Juliana Vorkink Martin
Owner and Artistic Director of West Point Ballet

Story Synopsis:

~ Act 1 ~

A spirited village girl Swanhilda is engaged to Franz, and they plan to be married soon. Swanhilda catches Franz flirting — he’s been blowing kisses to Coppelia, the mysterious girl living in Dr. Coppelius’ house. After Franz is caught and confronted by Swanhilda, the couple make up. The Shepherdesses can’t seem to catch their Sheep, and the villagers dance a traditional Polish dance, the Mazurka. The Mayor hears the good news that Swanhilda and Franz will be married, and graciously gives them some money to help start their new life together. All of a sudden, a strange explosion comes out of Dr. Coppelius’ house. Swanhilda’s mother asks Coppelius what happened, but it remains a mystery to everyone in the village. Swanhilda chalks this up to Dr. Coppelius being ‘crazy’, but her Mother and the Mayor don’t like her antics. Swanhilda and her friends celebrate joyfully in anticipation of her wedding.

More villagers dance a traditional Hungarian dance, the Czardas and Milkmaids pass through the village after they finish up their milking for the day. Franz and his friends stumble upon the mysterious girl Coppelia again, and dance with her and the wary Dr. Coppelius. Franz is smitten! Franz’s luck runs out again, and Swanhilda catches him flirting with Coppelia. Who is this mysterious girl and why is she stealing Swanhilda’s man? Swanhilda tells Franz that the wedding is off! Somehow, Franz is able to get Swanhilda to forgive him.

The odd Dr. Coppelius heads out into the village in the evening, but is accosted by Franz’s friends who have a bone to pick with him. Somehow he is able to overpower them and gratefully accepts an offer to visit the tavern with Franz and the Mayor, not realizing that he accidentally dropped the keys to his house. Swanhilda and her friends discover the keys and sneak into Dr. Coppelius house while he’s out on the town with Franz and the Mayor. As the gentlemen return to Dr. Coppelius’ house, Coppelius convinces Franz to come into his workshop. How strange, he thought his house was locked?

~5 MINUTE PAUSE ~

~ Act 2 ~

Swanhilda and her friends sneak into Dr. Coppelius’ workshop, determined to confront Coppelia once and for all. They are scared in this new place, wondering where all of these strange dolls came from. At last, Swanhilda finds and confronts Coppelia, only to realize that Coppelia is a DOLL! Swanhilda and her friends laugh merrily at Franz’s oblivious mistake, and start to have fun playing with the dolls in the workshop. Suddenly, one of Swanhilda’s friends hears someone coming. Quick, everyone get into disguise. There’s no time to escape.

Coppelius returns with Franz to his workshop, giving him a tour and promising to show Franz the beautiful girl he danced with before. Franz is intrigued by these dolls, but some of them are sure acting odd, and seem to even attacking him. At last Franz has had enough of this nonsense and is about to leave, when Coppelius finally pulls out Coppelia for Franz to see. Franz is delighted to see her again, but is a little concerned with her odd and sometimes aggressive behavior. A quick-thinking friend of Swanhilda’s knocks out Dr. Coppelius with is own spell book before he discovers the friends hiding in his workshop. The jig is up. Franz finally realizes that he had been dancing with Swanhilda disguised as Coppelia, and that Coppelia is a DOLL! Coppelius regains consciousness, only to realize that all of his dolls are going haywire and his workshop is destroyed. Franz, Swanhilda and her friends barely escape.

~5 MINUTE PAUSE ~

~ Act 3~

After barely escaping Dr. Coppelius’ workshop, Swanhilda is furious at Franz for falling for a doll, and on the eve of their wedding no less! Swanhilda decides she will only forgive Franz if he kisses her feet. Franz does just that and the wedding is back on. Time is moving quickly, as demonstrated by the Waltz of the Hours. The sun is starting to come up with the Sunbeams. A beautiful Prayer is said before Franz comes to see if Swanhilda is ready for the wedding. Finally Swanhilda is ready for the wedding. Dr. Coppelius comes out asking for payment for his destroyed workshop. Swanhilda feels so badly for how it all played out, that she wants to give Coppelius the wedding money she was gifted from the Mayor. In his generosity, the Mayor gives Coppelius money to cover the expenses. Swanhilda invites Coppelius to come to their wedding celebration and asks if he wants to bring some of his dolls for all to see.

In celebration of the wedding, Harvesters and a Bridal Party come to the village. Coppelius shows off his Jack and Jill dolls, and flower girls dance with Coppelia. The wedding is drawing nearer, so the Wedding Fairies and Bridesmaids prepare Swanhilda and Franz to be wed. The story ends with Franz and Swanhilda finally being married.

CASTING

Act 1 Casting

Dr. Coppelius: Dusty Stout

Coppelia: Andrea Holker

Understudy: Alyssa Bingham

Franz: Bashaun Williams

Swanhilda: Leah Frandsen

Understudy: Andrea Holker

Franz’s Friends, “The Cadre”: Nik Fields, Zach Facer

Swanhilda’s Friends: Clara Mitchell, Lila Gardner, Carson McIntosh, Lilly Miller, Elise Daw; Understudy: Penelope Slaugh

Shepherdesses: Aspen Bryant, Maggie Glad, Savannah Kern, Scarlett Shamy

Sheep: Isabella Preusz, Bella Michaelis, Ophelia Updike, Catalina Eddings

Mayor: Landon Peay

Mother: Jenna Hansen

Understudy: Madelyn Dubach

Mazurka: Sapphire Academy: Millie Katherine Atkinson, Naomi Day, Eden Dunn, Baylor Higgs, Addison Hunter, Sicily Savage, Rosie Shamy, Kate Wadsworth; Garnet Academy: Mahayla Chappell, Heidi Davidson, Hallie Dixon, Lila Gardner, Amillya McCain, Clara Mitchell, Tetonia Wang; UTB2: Elise Daw, Madelyn Dubach, Lola Firpo, Tayli Greenhalgh, Jenna Hansen, Kali Kirton, Carson McIntosh, Lilly Miller, Penelope Slaugh; UTB: Alyssa Bingham, Leah Frandsen,

Swanhilda’s Little Friends: Gold Academy: Aspen Bryant, Isabelle Dixon, Hazel Dunn, Maggie Glad, Faye Hurd, Savannah Kern, Bronte Perez, Scarlett Shamy, Melody Tuitupou
Lead: Bronte Perez

Czardas: Sapphire Academy: Millie Katherine Atkinson, Naomi Day, Eden Dunn, Audrey Glad, Baylor Higgs, Addison Hunter, Sicily Savage, Rosie Shamy, Kate Wadsworth

Little Czardas: Elaina Montgomery, Kimberly Leavitt, Ivy van Rij

Milkmaids: Rose Academy: Eleanor Carter, Catalina Eddings, Isabella Michaelis, Isla Morrissey, Isabella Preusz, Nora Seat, Brighton Sutton, Ophelia Updike
Lead: Eleanor Carter

Act 2 Casting

Chinese Doll: Mahayla Chappell

Understudy: Amillya McCain

Spanish Doll: Alyssa Bingham

Understudy: Kali Kirton

Scottish Dolls: Lola Firpo and Tayli Greenhalgh; Understudy: Tetonia Wang

Raggedy Annes: Hazel Dunn, Faye Hurd, Izzy Dixon, Melody Tuitupou

Marionettes: Rosie Lamping, Hattie Hurd, Tatiana Dorofeeva, Kate Sperry, Macie Wasden, Chloe Shamy

Lead Marionette: Hallie Dixon

Act 3 Casting

Waltz of the Hours: Tetonia Wang, Mahayla Chappell, Hallie Dixon, Amillya McCain, Heidi Davidson, Jenna Hansen, Madelyn Dubach, Brooklyn LaMela, Tayli Greenhalgh, Kali Kirton, Penelope Slaugh, Lola Firpo

Sunbeams: Ruby Academy: Harley Chapman, Tatiana Dorofeeva, Hattie Hurd, Siena Judd, Rosalie Lamping, Natasha Plata, Evelyn Rogers, Chloe Shamy, Kate Sperry, Macie Wasden

Prayer: Kali Kirton

Prayer Demi soloists: Tetonia Wang and Amillya McCain

Understudy: Tayli Greenhalgh

Little Prayer: Isabella Williams, Ella Morrell, Abigail Walker, Emma Burton, Cora Slack

Harvest Queen: Heidi Davidson

Understudy: Mahayla Chappell

Harvest Dance: Aqua Academy: Oakley Brown, Emma Burton, Madi Earhart, Jillian Hinckley, Dilainey Hinojos, Ahna Li, Julia Michaelis, Ella Morrell, Cora Slack, Abigail Walker, Eunika Wang, Isabella Williams, Rose Wright

Bridal Party: Rosie Shamy, Baylor Higgs, Kate Wadsworth, Audrey Glad, Naomi Day, Madi Earhart

Jack and Jill in a Box: Lilac Academy: Kendall Allen, Sophia Andoh, Rachel Baer, Ellie Baird, Lily Crosby, Charlie Doane, Kimberly Leavitt, Ellie Montgomery, Scout Salter, Clementine Thackeray, Ivy van Rij

Leads: Charlie Doane and Lily Crosby

Flower Girls: Oakley Brown, Rose Wright, Dilainey Hinojos, Ahna Li, Julia Michaelis, Jillian Hinckley, Eunika Wang

Wedding Fairies: Sicily Savage, Millie Katherine Atkinson, Eden Dunn, Addison Hunter

Bridesmaids: Madelyn Dubach, Brooklyn LaMela

Pas de deux: Leah Frandsen and Bashaun Williams

Folly Variation: Alyssa Bingham

Understudy: Kali Kirton

Franz’s Variation: Bashaun Williams

Swanhilda’s Variation: Leah Frandsen

Finale: Full cast

Curtain Call: Full cast

PERFORMERS

Guest Performers

Bashaun Williams, Franz

Bashaun Williams is a native of Lubbock, Texas. He started dancing at the age of 16 with Ballet Lubbock, under the Artistic Direction of Yvonne Racz-Key. While in high school, Bashaun was the only Sophomore to play Varsity basketball for Lubbock High. He went on to become the captain of the Varsity team during his Junior and Senior years. Bashaun excelled artistically and academically while at Lubbock High school, performing numerous roles in many of Ballet Lubbock’s professional productions, and received the top honor of being named All-Westerner Boy during his Senior year. Bashaun was offered a full academic and artistic merit scholarship to attend the University of Utah.

At the University of Utah, Bashaun was a member of the resident performing company, Utah Ballet from 2007-2011. During this time, he performed numerous Principle and Soloist roles and graduated with Honors in 2011.

Upon graduation, Bashaun was offered a contract to join the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, where he danced for an entire decade! As a member of the company, he toured extensively throughout the United States, Africa, France, Japan, Mongolia & South Korea to perform and teach master classes. As a professional dancer, Bashaun has performed the works of many renowned choreographers such as Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis, Stevan Novakovich, Edward Truitt, Val Caniparoli, Rick Tija, Johannes Weiland, Bill T. Jones, Adam Barruch, Charlotte Boye-Christensen, Doug Varone, Yin Yue, Raja Feather Kelly and Daniel Charon, among others. Not only did his passion for performing grow during this time, but also, his passion for teaching. Bashaun has had the privilege of teaching master classes at renown universities such as Georgia University, The University of Utah, Utah Valley University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, Brenau University, & Loyola Marymount University, to name a few. In the last 12 years, Bashaun has set choreography and taught creative movement classes in over 100 Utah schools! Bashaun is currently on faculty for Ballet West Academy, a full time fitness instructor, dance educator, and a freelance performer and choreographer based out of Salt Lake City.