Coppelia is an adaptation of "The Sandman," a story written by the German Romanticist, E.T.A. Hoffman, almost 200 years ago. The ballet, with music by Leo Delibes, first performed over 100 years ago in Paris, was choreographed by Arthur Saint-Leon, ballet master of the Paris Opera at the time.

To quote from one description, this humorous story takes place in the storybook village of Olympia in Southern Poland. It's about a clever young girl named Swanilda, her silly boyfriend (Franz), a beautiful mechanical doll (Coppelia), and a funny old toymaker (Dr. Coppelius), who dreams of making a doll who would come to life.