By Jeannette Andersen Hélène Blackburn’s Coppélia X Machina is the latest of numerous ballet interpretations of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s short story The Sandman from 1816. Hoffmann wrote a sinister tale about a young man, Nathaniel, who falls in love with a doll and commits suicide upon realizing she is not human. The story first entered the
By Kaija Pepper The Vancouver Ballet Society, the not-for-profit organization that has published Dance International since 1977, celebrates its 75th anniversary. In earlier years, VBS was a presenter, mounting shows at downtown theatres. Some were mixed bills by local choreographers, others were gala affairs, such as the one in which two high-profile guests from London’s