THE PYGMALION EFFECT

Ballet in two acts

In Greek mythology, the unmarried king and sculptor, Pygmalion falls in love with his own work, as his sculpture of a woman turns out to be so perfect and life-like. “This ballet is a choreographed interpretation of the myth of artist and his work, shedding light on how much art and life are interconnected yet distinct from each other. The ballet focuses on a girl living in deprivation, who finds richness and performance perfection in dance, where the elusive lightness of beauty and movement can only be achieved through hard work, while the seemingly attractive life on stage does not save one from being lonely. With the guidance of the famous dancer, the heroine steps onto a path on which changing her body seems to be an entertaining experiment in the beginning, but turns into real drama in the end”, says choreographer Boris Eifman. The tragicomic ballet set for Johann Strauss Jr.’s virtuoso music is first presented by the Hungarian National Ballet in 2023.