Thank you very much for your interest and for asking!
I wish there was a real elephant used! I am sure in the past a live animal was used onstage--it was a beautiful ballet, though not "flawless" it was beautifully presented, and performed; extremely entertaining..I felt like a Queen being entertained - My favourite moment of the play was the second act, when all the sparkly "white" ballerinas came out slowly, one at a time, like a flock of white flamingos, moving down the mountain, perfectly and precisely moving together, such a gorgeous sight; amazing..The jumping, the precision..I felt this part was "magical" lifting me up to lofty heights (also I was sitting in the balcony which helped!)
Overall, it was wonderful to feel the historical significance of the event, especially since my ancestory is from Russia, both grandparents from the Ukraine.