THE PYGMALION EFFECT
Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg
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Boris Eifman’s Pygmalion Effect reveals the celebrated choreographer at his most psychologically sharp, fusing virtuosic classical technique with visceral emotional power. Inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, this production reimagines the story as a dark, modern ballet about artistic control and human transformation. Eifman’s distinctive movement language captures the volatile bond between a brilliant, domineering creator and the young woman he reshapes, exposing desire, manipulation, and vulnerability beneath the polish. Dramatically charged and emotionally rich, the ballet exemplifies Eifman’s gift for turning narrative dance into gripping psychological theater.
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"Boris Eifman is a theatrical magician!" – NY Post
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Running time: 1hr 25m
Photos by Evgeny Matveev, Souheil Michael Khoury
CREATIVE TEAM
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Choreographer, director and producer – Boris Eifman
Music by Johann Strauss the Son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Set Design by Zinovy Margolin
Costumes by Olga Shaishmelashvili
Lighting Design by Alexander Sivaev, Boris Eifman
CAST
Oleg Gabyshev – Leon, champion in ballroom dancing
Lyubov Andreyeva – Gala, slum dweller
Alina Petrovskaya – Tea, Leon’s dancing partner
Dmitry Fisher – Holmes, Gala’s father
Lilia Lishchuk – Greta, Leon’s housekeeper
Sergey Volobuev – Coach
and Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg dancers
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BORIS EIFMAN
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Boris Eifman is considered to be one of the leading choreographers in the world. After working for 10 years at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, in 1977, he formed his own ballet ensemble, interweaving classical ballet, modern dance and ecstatic impulses to create a completely different form of choreography where self-expression becomes the subject and in which there is drama, philosophy, characters and a central idea. A distinct feature of Eifman’s theater, its trademark, is that almost all of his performances have a plot and, often, a literary source. In this way he can plunge into a realm that is familiar, all the while discovering and revealing the unexplored. His unique lexicon and conceptual, authorial interpretations are a breakthrough into that fantastic dimension where the boundlessness of inner worlds comes to life.
Text by Tatiana Boborykina
