Malcolm Burn remembers dancing in "Coppélia" when he was 19.
To hear him tell it, that was a few years ago, though the endearing 19th-century comic piece about love and dolls is still a favorite of the Richmond Ballet's artistic associate and ballet master.
Burn has been with the Richmond Ballet for 25 years, and to commemorate his anniversary he will take to the stage to play the part of Dr. Coppelius in performances that start Friday and run through Feb. 12.
In the ballet, Burn's character is an inventor who creates life-size dolls, one of which captures the attention of a young man who becomes infatuated with it.
Burn and his wife, Jasmine Grace, a teacher with the ballet's school, are celebrating 25-year milestones. They came to the ballet together, he said. She had already retired from dancing to teach, and he continued to dance for six years before retiring and taking on the role of ballet master.
"I've hardly noticed it go by," Burn said of the quarter-century he has been with the company, calling his job a "labor of love."
He described "Coppélia," which was first performed in 1870, as "an old warhorse."
"It's a dear old ballet handed down with grace, love and caring over the years," he said.
The Richmond Ballet last performed "Coppélia" in 2003. Burn said some of the younger dancers within the company have never danced it, and watching their response to such an old piece has been rewarding.
Richmond Ballet spokeswoman Caitlyn Powitz said Burn's part in "Coppélia" is a fitting way to honor his career.
"It's fun to see him onstage in a way that we wouldn't normally get to see," she said.
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