Igor Moiseyev Ballet

The Igor Moiseyev State Academic Ensemble of Popular Dance,[1][2] known in Russia as the GAANT,[3] and alternatively known as the Moiseyev Dance Company[4][5] or simply the Igor Moiseyev Ballet,[1] is a dance troupe focusing on character dance, based in Moscow, Russia. The troupe combines traditional folk dance and classical ballet techniques to create their style of character dance.[6] It was established in 1937 by Igor Moiseyev and is one of the most influential[7] and acclaimed dance troupes of both Soviet and modern Russia.[5][8][9][10]

Igor Moiseyev Ballet
General information
NameIgor Moiseyev Ballet
Local nameБалет Игоря Моисеева
Государственный академический ансамбль народного танца имени Игоря Моисеева
Gosudarstvennyy Akademicheskiy Ansambl' Narodnogo Tantsa Imeni Igorya Moiseyeva
Year founded1937 (1937)
FoundersIgor Moiseyev
Principal venueTchaikovsky Concert Hall
Websitehttps://www.moiseyev.ru/
Senior staff
Chief ExecutiveAleksey Gladyshev
Artistic staff
Artistic DirectorElena Shcherbakova
Deputy DirectorAlla Gladkikh
Music DirectorAleksandr Radzetskiy
Principal ConductorAnatoliy Gus'
Other
OrchestraOrchestra of the State Academic Ensemble of Folk Dance

In the West, the Moiseyev Ballet has been described as speaking "the nationalist idiom of folk movement".[11] It has also been called "a symbol of Soviet bureaucracy", a "mirror of the Soviet epoch", and "the main cultural tyrant of the [Soviet] regime".[12] However, it has also been credited with helping encourage international cultural exchange, especially between the USA and the Soviet Union.[5]

History

In 1936, the Soviet government asked Igor Moiseyev to organize the first "Festival of National Dance". Moiseyev was a former principal dancer[9] and choreographer of the Bolshoi Ballet, and had an interest in ethnography and folk dance. The request led him to organize a group of dancers who could dedicate themselves to folk dance. On February 10, 1937, the Moiseyev Ballet came into existence.[4] According to Moiseyev, the dance troupe had early difficulties: the politician Poskrebyshev promised to dissolve the ensemble, however, the ensemble had Stalin's patronage. Therefore, neither Poskrebyshev nor any other politician dared to dissolve it.[13] Allegedly, Stalin enjoyed the Moiseyev Ballet so much that they were constantly invited to the banquets and parties he threw, and, when Igor Moiseyev asked for a larger building to house the studio, Stalin gave the order for the Tchaikovsky Hall to be built in 1940.[14]

A 1971 Soviet stamp depicting a dancer of the Moiseyev Ballet performing a Romani dance

The first foreign performance of the Moiseyev Ballet occurred in 1945, in Finland.[14] It began to tour around the world in 1955, and has toured in 60 countries,[4] including the USA, France,[12] Israel,[15][16] the UK,[17] Japan,[14] and China.[18] In 1958, impresario Sol Hurok invited the Moiseyev Ballet to perform at the old Metropolitan Opera House, marking the first time a major Soviet dance group had ever performed in the United States. They also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.[5][19]

The dance troupe was met warmly nearly everywhere, but this was not always the case. In September 1986, tear gas was thrown at a Moiseyev Ballet performance at the Metropolitan Opera House, forcing the evacuation of 4,000 people and injuring 30. An anonymous caller purporting to be the chairman of the Jewish Defense League claimed responsibility, saying it was a protest on the behalf of Soviet Jews. However, the actual chairman at the time, Irv Rubin, denied the JDL's responsibility.[20][21] The identity of the attackers has never been confirmed.

The Moiseyev Ballet continues to tour and perform to the current day. It has been praised by cultural figures such as Maya Plisetskaya, Tatyana Tarasova, and Marlene Dietrich.[12]

References
  1. "Igor Moiseyev Ballet". Official Site of the Igor Moiseyev Ballet. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  2. "Igor Moiseyev State Academic Ensemble of Popular Dance". Official Site of the Moscow Philharmonic. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  3. "Балет Игоря Моисеева в Кремле" [Ballet by Igor Moiseyev in the Kremlin]. Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  4. "The Moiseyev Dance Company". Official Site of Los Angeles Philharmonic. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  5. Anderson, Jack (November 3, 2007). "Igor Moiseyev, 101, Choreographer, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  6. Ritzel, Rebecca (October 26, 2015). "Wearing braids and boots, Russian folk troupe entertains". Washington Post. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  7. Shay, Anthony (1999). "Parallel Traditions: State Folk Dance Ensembles and Folk Dance in "The Field"". Dance Research Journal. Dance Studies Association. 31 (1). doi:10.2307/1478309. ISSN 0149-7677. JSTOR 1478309. S2CID 154061574. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  8. "Moiseyev Dance Ensemble". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  9. Clarke, Mary (November 6, 2007). "Igor Moiseyev Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  10. Macaulay, Alastair (October 3, 2012). "Tapping Glory From a Soviet Past, Supercharged With Precision and Vigor". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  11. Laine, Barry (September 28, 1986). "Folk Ballet of Moiseyev: 'People's Art'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  12. "Пятьдесят лет спустя" [Fifty years later]. Voice of America (in Russian). January 25, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  13. Shamina, Lidiya (June 10, 2004). "ИГОРЬ МОИСЕЕВ: "Выгоню любого, кто возомнит себя солистом"" ["I will fire anyone, who makes himself out to be a principal dancer"]. Izvestia. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  14. Terent'yev, Viktor. "«Хореография Игоря Моисеева – философия мира, добра и любви!» - Статьи - Литературная газета" ["Choreography of Igor Moiseyev: a philosophy of peace, goodness and love!"]. Literaturnaya Gazeta (in Russian). Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  15. "Igor Moiseyev Ballet TANGO Del-Plata". Official Site of the Israeli Opera. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  16. Lenkinski, Ori J. "In his footsteps". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  17. "Moiseyev Dancers Perform in London". New York Times. September 23, 1964. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  18. "В Китае выступит ансамбль народного танца имени Моисеева" [Moiseyev Folk Dance Ensemble to perform in China]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). November 25, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  19. Gould, Jack (June 30, 1958). "Moiseyev Dancers; Russian Troupe Scores a Resounding Hit on the 'Ed Sullivan Show'". New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  20. Campbell, Mary (September 2, 1986). "Tear Gas Greets Russian Dance Troupe at Lincoln Center". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  21. Hevesi, Dennis (September 3, 1986). "Tear Gas Disrupts Soviet Dancers in Performance at Lincoln Center". Washington Post. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
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