Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 4 Eifman Ballet

2 | EIFMAN BALLET OF ST. PETERSBURG — THE PYGMALION EFFECT | MAY 17-19, 2019 THE PYGMALION EFFECT THE PYGMALION EFFECT SYNOPSIS A ballet by Boris Eifman Music: Johann Strauss, the Son with additional music by Josef Strauss, Eduard Strauss, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sets: Zinovy Margolin Costumes: Olga Shaishmelashvili Lighting: Alexander Sivaev, Boris Eifman ACT I ACT II Gala, a dweller of city outskirts, calls on tourists to enjoy a ride in a carriage driven by her father, Holmes. Leon, a superstar of ballroom dancing, welcomes the arrival of a new day in his luxurious home, surrounded by maids under the supervision of stern Greta. Gala is full of admiration as she watches the ballroom dancing tournament. Leon and his partner Tea are the favorites but, sadly, a mistake costs them the victory. Gala rescues Leon from mobsters and makes it into his house. Holmes, who also gets inside, tries to sell o his daughter. Gala develops aection for Leon; a dream of becoming a dancer is kindled within her. In his dream, Holmes is visited by a messenger of the Heaven, who keeps him away from his favored pursuits — women and drink. Gala’s appearance in the dance class causes general confusion. Leon makes a bet with the Coach — he will transform this gawky girl into a star. Gala’s training commences. Her body, used to rough movement, resists unfamiliar plasticity. The maids kick Gala out of the house. Holmes alternates between going rogue and preaching sobriety and chastity. Leon locates Gala and paints a picture of her future triumph. Torturous rehearsals are not working. The only solution is to apply a modern gadget that turns Gala into a mechanical dancing doll. Tea steals the partner of one of the competing female dancers. Leon brings Gala into the dance class. Everyone is amazed by her transformation and congratulates the tutor while ignoring the pupil. The girl is furious. The support and attention of the Coach help Gala achieve recognition among dancers. Gala and Leon make up and win the tournament, but separation is inevitable. Leon cannot forget about or accept his partner’s past. Slum dwellers pay tribute to their queen. But Gala can only think about Leon, with whom she is destined to be joined together only in her reverie... —Boris Eifman “We are not fully aware of our real capabilities. Human nature is infinitely enigmatic. It is a space for unlimited discoveries. Each of us possesses creative energy, which gives a human being capacity for personal development. Nonetheless it is not rare that, to change oneself a person needs someone else to help unlock dormant potential. By influencing others, these architects of human destiny also become subject to metamorphosis. The ballet The Pygmalion Eect is a choreographic interpretation of the myth about an artist and his creation, a new view on how art and life are intricately intertwined but never one and the same. The central character of the ballet is an impertinent girl who lives in the slums. When she meets a champion ballroom dancer, she enters the world of riches and remarkable mastery of performance. Here, beauty and deceptive ease of movement are earned by very hard work, while seemingly attractive stage fame is not a safeguard from loneliness. Led by the famous dancer, the heroine embarks on a path of body movement transformation — and what initially has been an amusing experiment ends in a real drama. The girl’s extraordinary tenacity and her merits (previously disguised by overt crudity), as well as her spontaneous infatuation with her teacher and partner, help her develop into a star. But the fateful chasm between poverty and luxury can only be bridged in the world of dance, which makes people equal whether they live in a shack or a palace. In real life, we cannot escape the vengeful past that stays within us forever. The miraculous transformation does not make our heroine happy. Harmony is destroyed along with remnants of sweet fantasies. But what is life if not a reverie brought on by the longing for an unattainable dream?”