Classical variation guide
Le Travail (Work) Variation
Also known as Coppelia Work Variation · Coppélia Le Travail · Work Variation · Le Travail
Coppélia · Act III
Female
Intermediate
Arthur Saint-Léon
Léo Delibes
About this variation
Le Travail, or the Work Variation, is one of the allegorical dances in Coppélia’s third-act celebration. Its purposeful rhythms and carefully shaped gestures ask the dancer to suggest diligence and industry while preserving an elegant classical line.
Performance quality
Purposeful, industrious, precise, and brightly musical
Training focus
Develop clean foot articulation, coordinated arm patterns, controlled balances, and exact musical accents. Practice connecting each purposeful gesture through the torso so the allegorical character reads clearly without becoming literal or heavy.
Key elements
Quick footwork · Balances · Musical accents · Character acting