The Bermuda Civic Ballet made its Festival debut on Friday evening with a delightfully animated production of the celebrated classic Coppélia, rich in colour and character.

Coppélia, originally choreographed by Saint-Lé onto music by Léo Delibes, was premiered in Paris in 1870 and has been performed at the Paris Opéra more often than any other ballet in its history.

It is a work with a rich choreographic history with several of the world's greats, including Petipa, Cecchetti, Sergeyev and de Valois, involved in its revision and reinterpretation over the past 140 years.

Civic's presentation was staged by Ray Tanva with Coral Waddell, the company's director.

Although, inspiration had clearly been taken from Coppélia's originators, this recital was short on choreography but big on mime, with stellar performances from several fine character actors, most notably David Drummond as toymaker Dr Coppélius, the Coppélia doll's creator.

The ballet's plot, based on one of E. T. A. Hoffman's tales, tells of a toymaker who produces a doll so life-like that Franz, a young man in the village, becomes infatuated with it, much to the chagrin of his fiancée, Swanilda. For her part, she devises a scheme involving disguise and illusion to determine whether he really loves her or Coppélia, the doll.

The ballet's first act begins in celebratory mood with the town preparing for a festival. All the company are involved in this colourful scene – from its guest and Bermudian professionals right through to dance school pupils appearing as the village children.

It has always been the Civic Ballet's ethos to encourage collaboration between local and overseas talent. This makes it particularly fitting for a festival which this year is placing increased emphasis on Bermuda's own artistic and cultural contribution to mark the Island's 400th anniversary.

Credit indeed is due to artistic directors Mr. Tanva and Mrs. Waddell for the creative inspiration evident in the staging here. Working with a company of dancers of varying degrees of proficiency, they pitched the choreography at a level within reach of all levels of technique at their disposal, which made possible that all-too-often illusive unanimity in corps work.

There was creativity in the shape, and variety in the groupings of dancers in ensemble work, which added another perspective and dynamic to the themed step combinations. Whether the dancers were en pointe or flat, and the choreography simple or more challenging, each variation was neatly executed and the company evidently tightly rehearsed.

Although only the understudy, but with an impressive resumé, British professional Stephanie Elstob made for a vivacious and feisty Swanhilda – here was a young woman who was going to win her man. She was well-matched by Cameron McMillan as Franz, and every bit the noble hero.

They shared an alluring unity in pas-de-deux, which made it particularly hard to believe that Stephanie was just the understudy given the choreography's kaleidoscope of lifts. The two principals achieved a delightful reading of their characters' relationship with a palpable chemistry.

The second act, which takes place in the toymaker's workshop, features a marvellous interplay between Dr. Coppélius and what he believes to be his doll, Coppélia. The interaction between the two characters here is generously peppered throughout by illustrative and engaging mime.

Dr. Coppelius, a larger-than-life figure, was brilliantly drawn by Mr. Drummond down to every last detail – be it the old man's shaking hands, searching gaze or his compelling obsession with his wooden life-size creations. A perfect complement was offered by Ms Elstob, whose sprightly and fiery pointe work added a delicious piquancy. Composer Delibes' genius lay in making his musical phrases danceable and this was not lost on Ms Elstob, whose impressive musicality saw her dance to the fullest extent through each one. Wouldn't it have been wonderful to have enjoyed the presence of a full orchestra rather than merely a pre-existing recording?

This act may have been thin on dance and heavy on mime, but it was strong on characterization thanks to some absorbing interaction between these two central figures. Ms Elstob displayed some excellent mechanical qualities when disguised as Coppélia dressed in the doll's clothes. In fact that was true of all the doll figures in the toy shop.

Particularly memorable was the principal dancer's achievement in maintaining a steely doll-like quality even in promenade in arabesque to penché. Technical prowess aside though, perhaps most moving of all was Dr. Coppélius clutching his damaged and denuded doll, Coppélia, played by Brittany Legere Adams, as the curtain fell.

The third act saw a return to the festive village and, following a fluid Waltz of the Hours, a sprightly solo from Sophia Cannonier Watson as Dawn and a serenely graceful interpretation of prayer by Kayla London, Franz arrived for his much anticipated solo.

This was completed with finesse and climaxed in sweeping fouetté turns à la seconde which generated cries of approval from an enthusiastic audience. Eye-catching also was Bermuda's own emerging dance talent in the form of James Waddell, a student at London's Central School of Ballet, who played Franz's friend. His placement and extension with ballon was impressive.

Adding further colour to the proceedings throughout were cameo roles played by an energetic Robert Godfrey as the village innkeeper, Dee Edmunds as Swanilda's mother and a benevolent Don Joliffe as the bergermaester.

Civic's Festival production was also blessed with some good, solid production values, notably a well-dressed set which was warmly and atmospherically lit with a cheerfully dressed cast.

The whole (production) had a good, wholesome all-round finish. It was a home-grown Bermuda production of which the Island can be justly proud.