17-21 March 2010. In Coppelia. The ballet is an adaptation of The Sandman, a story written by E.T.A. Hoffman. With music by Leo Delibes, it was first performed in Paris over 100 years ago. Over the years there have been many different productions all over the world. 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.