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The joy of working on the Romantic ballet -- being offered so aptly at the approach of Valentine's Day -- began in October. Since then, Harris Ferris has been named executive director and is proving effective as well as dynamic. Financial challenges remain, but settlement of a dispute with the ballet orchestra musicians removes a major source of acrimony and will return live music next season for at least two productions. The musicians are donating their services to rehearse and play the opening night of this production of "Coppelia."

"Coppelia" has been a hit ever since its premiere in Paris in 1870. It is a wonderful vehicle for the dancers to put their technical skills at the service of a famous story supported by Leo Delibes' beautiful music.

Artistic director Terrence Orr's staging builds on his experience dancing both the romantic lead Frantz and the eccentric character Dr. Coppelius.

"We make much more of the comedy than I had ever seen," he says. "Frantz used to be the village idiot, with the girl always getting the upper hand." Orr prefers to play their early exchanges as romantic games.

Maribel Modrono says she loves dancing Swanhilde because "she's young and fallen in love and about to get married. There are so many layers of emotion, and she's witty, too," the ballerina says.

Orr is inspirational, Modrono says, because of "the way he describes the parts. He really gets into each character. I was in the company when he did Dr. Coppelius, and it was phenomenal. He really knows how to portray character and the reason for a reaction."

Christopher Rendall-Jackson says portraying Frantz suits him.

"He's a young guy and a little goofy, kind of fun. 'Sleeping Beauty' is more profound, but in this ballet the romance is different, more playful. She catches me looking at another girl. She doesn't want to admit she likes me, but it's pretty obvious we'll end up together."

"Coppelia" is based on a tale by early Romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann about the Galician toymaker Dr. Coppelius. His doll Coppelia is so realistically human that some townspeople think she's his daughter. The confusion fuels the plot of the ballet.

Amid the swirl of town life, Swanhilde is not amused when she sees her boyfriend, Frantz, flirting with Coppelia. After she sees Dr. Coppelius drop the key to his house when going out, she and her friends make an uninvited call on her rival, only to discover that Coppelia is indeed a doll.

When Dr. Coppelius returns, he chases the young women out, missing Swanhilde, who has hidden. Frantz arrives to tell Dr. Coppelius he has fallen for his daughter, which gives Swanhilde the chance to have fun with both men. She substitutes herself for the doll, and, after the doctor thinks he's animated his prize creation, Swanhilde plays the automaton run amok. The denouement includes the doctor being compensated for damage to his place and love triumphant as Swanhilde and Frantz are reunited.

Orr says "Coppelia" enables him to call upon young dancers from the ballet's school, who usually are seen only in "The Nutcracker." He's added a dance for them in the third act, and given them some challenging steps.

But then Orr also challenges his top dancers. He mentions an inward pirouette that opens up to an arabesque in Swanhilde's opening dance that he's added for this production, but says such challenges are not new.

"When I started here, the dancers all looked at me like I was crazy," he says. "Now they do it like a drink of water, but they were crying in my office for six years."

He presents the ballet in three acts, and rejects the criticism that the last act is superfluous because the dramatic conflict is already over.

"'The Nutcracker's' story is over by the end of the first act. In 'Coppelia,' the journey goes on to a wedding. How many people don't like to go to a wedding and celebrate?"

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