Olympic Ballet to stage final show under leadership of co-founder

Published 12:01 am Friday, April 15, 2011

Five years and $50,000 later, Helen Wilkins is ready to present the Olympic Ballet Theatre’s new full-length production, “Coppelia, the Girl With Enamel Eyes.”

She said she’s also ready to hand over the reins as artistic director, a job she has held for 30 years, since she co-founded the ball

et company with her husband, John.

Wilkins will retire June 30.

The new artistic directors are the husband-and-wife team of Mara Vinson and Oleg Gorboulev, who have been in charge of choreography for “Coppelia.”

“They are high-level artists, but, most of all, they are beautiful people,” Wilkins said.

Wilkins said she is producing this ballet with $50,000 of her own money that she saved to buy “state of the art, incredible, huge” sets and all new costumes.

“Coppelia” is Olympic Ballet’s largest production to date with sets created at Seattle Scenic Studios with collaboration from Hita von Mende, a former set designer for Universal Studios Los Angeles.

Costume designer is Margaretha Preston of the Los Gitanos School of Spanish Dance in Canada.

This is a lighthearted ballet with fun, upbeat music by Leo Delibes, spirited scenes, charming interludes and a happy ending.

Wilkins called the ballet “both classic and comedy,” as Dr. Coppelius tries to bring the doll he created to life.

Wilkins said she had no worries handing over the choreography to her new directing team, who have been working with Olympic Ballet in many roles over the past five years.

Gorboulev was a soloist with Moscow Classical Ballet and later with Pacific Northwest Ballet where he met Vinson, a former PNB principal dancer.

Vinson performs the lead role of Swanhilda, who is infatuated with Franz, though Franz is in love with the doll.

Le Yen, a gold medalist in the Chinese National Ballet Competition and a faculty member at PNB, portrays Franz.

“I’m so excited about Oleg and Mara,” said Karen Bennett Herr, a former student of Wilkins and now a teacher at the Olympic Ballet. “They are beautiful and, oh my goodness, down-to-earth people. This will be a good transitional phase for the company.”

Wilkins said the timing was perfect for her to create “Coppelia” as part of her 30th anniversary celebration and to hand over the choreography to her new directors.

“This is my last and their first,” Wilkins said. “I feel like that is another goal, that it’s important there is change because that is what makes new life.”

“Coppelia, the Girl With Enamel Eyes” will be performed at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N., Edmonds.

Tickets are $20 to $30; call 888-71-tickets or 888-718-4253 or go to www.olympicballet.showclix.com. For more information call Olympic Ballet Theatre, 425-774-7570.

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.