The State Academic Folk Dance Ensemble named after Igor Moiseev is the first and only professional choreographic group in the world engaged in artistic interpretation and promotion of dance folklore of the peoples of the world.
The ensemble was organized on February 10, 1937, and since then the main artistic principles of its development have been continuity and creative interaction of traditions and innovation. The main task, which was first set before the artists by the founder of the ensemble, Igor Moiseev (1906-2007), is the creative processing of folklore samples common at that time in the USSR. To this end, the artists of the ensemble went on folklore expeditions around the country, where they searched for and recorded disappearing dances, songs, rituals. As a result, the first programs of the ensemble appeared: "Dances of the Peoples of the USSR" (1937-1938), "Dances of the Baltic Peoples" (1939). In the repertoire of the ensemble, folklore samples have received a new stage life and have been preserved for several generations of viewers around the world. For this purpose, Igor Moiseev used all the means of stage culture: all types and types of dances, symphonic music, dramaturgy, scenography, acting skills.
An important step was the development and creative interpretation of European folklore. The program "Dances of the Slavic Peoples" (1945) was created in unique conditions: not being able to travel abroad, Igor Moiseev recreated living examples of dance creativity, consulting with musicians, folklorists, historians, and musicologists. On tour in 1946 in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, the audience was amazed at the accuracy of the productions, the true artistic meaning of the ensemble's stage works. Since that time and until now, the ensemble has been a school and a creative laboratory for choreographers. different countries, and his repertoire serves as a kind of choreographic encyclopedia dance culture peoples of the world. With the direct participation of well-known experts in folklore choreographers Miklós Rabai (Hungary), Lyubusha Ginkova (Czechoslovakia), Ahn Song-hi (Korea), whom Igor Moiseev attracted to work, the program "Peace and Friendship" (1953) was created, which for the first time collected samples of European and Asian dance folklore of eleven countries.
Based on the model of the Igor Moiseev Folk Dance Ensemble, choreographic groups were created in all the republics of the USSR (now the CIS countries), as well as in many European countries.
The Folk Dance Ensemble is the first Soviet group to go on tour during the Iron Curtain period. In 1955, the artists of the ensemble performed for the first time in Paris and London. The triumph of the Soviet dance troupe served as the first step towards international detente. In 1958, the Igor Moiseev Ensemble was also the first of the domestic ensembles to perform in the United States. The successful tour, the American press admitted, melted the ice of mistrust towards the USSR and became the basis for establishing new, constructive relations between our countries.
Another important merit of the Folk Dance Ensemble is the creation of the unique Moiseev School of Dance (1943), the only one in the world. Its distinguishing features are high professionalism, virtuoso technical equipment, and the ability to convey the improvisational nature of folk performance. Actor-dancers, brought up by Igor Moiseev, are widely educated, universal artists who are fluent in all types of dance, capable of embodying the national character in an artistic image. The dancer of the Moiseev school is the best recommendation anywhere in the world, in a choreographic group of any direction. The artists of the ensemble were awarded the titles of Honored and People's Artists of the USSR and Russia.
A vivid expression of the creative principles of educating actors-dancers is the program "The Road to Dance" ("Class Concert"), which clearly shows creative way team from the development of individual elements to the creation of full-scale stage paintings. For the program "The Road to Dance" (1965), the group was the first of the folk dance ensembles to be awarded the title of "Academic", and Igor Moiseev - the Lenin Prize.
For their concert activity, which has been going on for more than 70 years, the team was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples. The ensemble has rightly been and remains the hallmark of our country abroad.
On different continents, viewers of different generations fell in love with the “crown” numbers of the Ensemble, which became “ business cards"of the team: the legendary "Partizans", the naval suite "Yablochko", the old urban quadrille, the Moldavian Jock, the Ukrainian Gopak, the Russian dance "Summer", the incendiary Tarantella. The Ensemble gained great success with bright one-act performances staged by Igor Moiseev with the involvement of the means and techniques of world folk and theatrical culture - "Vesnyanki", "Tsam", "Sanchakou", "Polovtsian Dances" to the music of A. Borodin, "At the Skating Rink" on music by I. Strauss, "Night on Bald Mountain" to music by M. Mussorgsky, "Spanish Ballad" to music by Pablo di Luna, "An Evening in a Tavern" to music by Argentinean composers, etc.
And now, after the death of the permanent leader of the ensemble, Igor Moiseev, the choreographic level of the group still serves as an unsurpassed standard, and the title of “Moiseev” is synonymous with high professionalism.
The State Academic Folk Dance Ensemble named after Igor Moiseev is the first and only professional choreographic group in the world engaged in artistic interpretation and promotion of dance folklore of the peoples of the world.
The ensemble was organized on February 10, 1937, and since then the main artistic principles of its development have been continuity and creative interaction of traditions and innovation. The main task, which was first set before the artists by the founder of the ensemble, Igor Moiseev (1906-2007), is the creative processing of folklore samples common at that time in the USSR. To this end, the artists of the ensemble went on folklore expeditions around the country, where they searched for and recorded disappearing dances, songs, rituals. As a result, the first programs of the ensemble appeared: "Dances of the Peoples of the USSR" (1937-1938), "Dances of the Baltic Peoples" (1939). In the repertoire of the ensemble, folklore samples have received a new stage life and have been preserved for several generations of viewers around the world. For this purpose, Igor Moiseev used all the means of stage culture: all types and types of dances, symphonic music, dramaturgy, scenography, acting skills.
An important step was the development and creative interpretation of European folklore. The program "Dances of the Slavic Peoples" (1945) was created in unique conditions: not being able to travel abroad, Igor Moiseev recreated living examples of dance creativity, consulting with musicians, folklorists, historians, and musicologists. On tour in 1946 in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, the audience was amazed at the accuracy of the productions, the true artistic meaning of the ensemble's stage works. Since that time and until now, the ensemble has been a school and a creative laboratory for choreographers from different countries, and its repertoire serves as a kind of choreographic encyclopedia of the dance culture of the peoples of the world. With the direct participation of well-known experts in folklore choreographers Miklós Rabai (Hungary), Lyubusha Ginkova (Czechoslovakia), Ahn Song-hi (Korea), whom Igor Moiseev attracted to work, the program "Peace and Friendship" (1953) was created, which for the first time collected samples of European and Asian dance folklore of eleven countries.
Based on the model of the Igor Moiseev Folk Dance Ensemble, choreographic groups were created in all the republics of the USSR (now the CIS countries), as well as in many European countries.
The Folk Dance Ensemble is the first Soviet group to go on tour during the Iron Curtain period. In 1955, the artists of the ensemble performed for the first time in Paris and London. The triumph of the Soviet dance troupe served as the first step towards international detente. In 1958, the Igor Moiseev Ensemble was also the first of the domestic ensembles to perform in the United States. The successful tour, the American press admitted, melted the ice of mistrust towards the USSR and became the basis for establishing new, constructive relations between our countries.
Another important merit of the Folk Dance Ensemble is the creation of the unique Moiseev School of Dance (1943), the only one in the world. Its distinguishing features are high professionalism, virtuoso technical equipment, and the ability to convey the improvisational nature of folk performance. Actor-dancers, brought up by Igor Moiseev, are widely educated, universal artists who are fluent in all types of dance, capable of embodying the national character in an artistic image. The dancer of the Moiseev school is the best recommendation anywhere in the world, in a choreographic group of any direction. The artists of the ensemble were awarded the titles of Honored and People's Artists of the USSR and Russia.
A vivid expression of the creative principles of educating dancers is the program "Road to Dance" ("Class Concert"), which clearly shows the creative path of the team from the development of individual elements to the creation of full-scale stage paintings. For the program "The Road to Dance" (1965), the group was the first of the folk dance ensembles to be awarded the title of "Academic", and Igor Moiseev - the Lenin Prize.
For their concert activity, which has been going on for more than 70 years, the team was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples. The ensemble has rightly been and remains the hallmark of our country abroad.
On different continents, viewers of different generations fell in love with the “crown” numbers of the Ensemble, which became the “calling cards” of the group: the legendary “Partisans”, the naval suite “Yablochko”, the old urban Quadrille, the Moldavian Jock, the Ukrainian Gopak, the Russian dance “Summer”, the incendiary Tarantella. The Ensemble gained great success with bright one-act performances staged by Igor Moiseev with the involvement of the means and techniques of world folk and theatrical culture - "Vesnyanki", "Tsam", "Sanchakou", "Polovtsian Dances" to the music of A. Borodin, "At the Skating Rink" on music by I. Strauss, "Night on Bald Mountain" to music by M. Mussorgsky, "Spanish Ballad" to music by Pablo di Luna, "An Evening in a Tavern" to music by Argentinean composers, etc.
And now, after the death of the permanent leader of the ensemble, Igor Moiseev, the choreographic level of the group still serves as an unsurpassed standard, and the title of “Moiseev” is synonymous with high professionalism.
Today the Igor Moiseev Folk Dance Ensemble celebrates its anniversary. Exactly 80 years ago Moiseev, soloist and choreographer Bolshoi Theater, held the first rehearsal with a small group of enthusiastic folk dance lovers. Thus began the path of the team to international recognition. On its 80th birthday, the ensemble presents its fans with great performances at the country's main concert venues, including the Historical Stage of the Bolshoi Theater and the Tchaikovsky Hall. Reported by Elena Voroshilova.
Ninety-five ballet dancers run a class-concert. Exercises at the barre are replaced by dances of the peoples of the world. In 1965, the program "The Road to Dance" brought Igor Moiseev the Lenin Prize, and the ensemble - the status of an academic.
“Moiseev is a brilliant director and philosopher. Creativity is good, that's why it is modern,” says Elena Shcherbakova, director of the Academic Folk Dance Ensemble named after Moiseev.
Elena Shcherbakova has been in the ensemble since 1969. Soloist, teacher-tutor, director. Conducts rehearsals in Moiseev's tough way. Beginners have long learned - went on stage - give all your best.
“The tradition before the performance is to put on a suit, check that everything is comfortable, so you have to go to full speed in order to give all your best at the concert,” says the soloist of the ensemble Ivan Makarov.
Creating a folk dance ensemble, Moiseev did not change the ballet. A student of Gorsky, he combined classical with folk stage dance and said a new word in choreography.
The ensemble's repertoire includes two hundred numbers. And all this is the legacy of Moses. The Adyghe dance on koturns, staged by Aslan Khadzhaev, is an exception. It takes skill not to fall off the wooden platform.
“The main thing is posture, keeping your back, we were told that after the rehearsal, the back should hurt. You need to wear wooden shoes, ”said the artists of the ensemble Maria Ionova and Anastasia Sorokina.
To become a Moiseevite, you need to study at a studio school for five years. It was opened in 1943. Here they teach not only dance, but also educate character.
“When we did this jump, fell, then got up, you have to complete what you want to do,” explains Irina Smirnova, a student at the studio school.
This is the first course. They are thirteen. Every day from three to seven they make a class. Nobody is in a hurry to leave. And so it has always been.
“We never looked at the clock, the rehearsal is going on, and we don’t look at the clock, we were so passionate about the process,” recalls the director of the school-studio Guzel Apanaeva.
They already understand that devotion to the profession and honesty are the main thing in the Ensemble of Igor Moiseev, and they are ready to go this way.
Igor Moiseev. Photo - ITAR-TASS / Alexey Panov
The name of Igor Moiseev has long become not just a name, but a brand of outstanding achievements of our country.
The legendary choreographer created an ensemble that performs folk dances, perfected by the hand of the master.
He was born on January 21, 1906. According to family legend, he began to study ballet at the insistence of his father. Once he witnessed a fight in the alley and, when he came home, he told his son that he would not fight, but would do ballet. And immediately, literally tomorrow, he will go to a ballet school.
Today, no one doubts that folk dancing is an art. This seems to be the simple truth. The paradox is that it was Moiseev who brought this truth to us. After all, before him no one had to consider folk dance on a par with classical dance.
Why this did not happen before - the maestro himself was surprised.
“Folk dances are born in every nation according to the laws by which the language of the people is born. So essentially it is a genuine phenomenon of art. Why no one could understand this before, I don't know. It so happened that I understood this before others and decided to expose it and identify folk dance as a certain national system, as a national language”,
Moiseev spoke.
1. Sirtaki
As you know, “Sirtaki” is not a Greek folk dance. But at Moiseev it was one of those numbers where they taught to dance in an ensemble. Moiseev's saying is well known:
"Whoever calls himself a soloist, I will fire him from the ensemble."
The maestro had a special relationship with the soloists. He taught not to show himself, but to act as a team. There were leaders in his team who danced better than others, but the peculiarity of the ensemble was that any soloist could be replaced and any member of the team could perform a solo part.
2. "Apple"
The ensemble is confident that Moiseev's school can serve as an alternative to military service. Here they say:
“Give the child to the school of Moiseev, and, God forbid, he will work for a year or two. You will get a disciplined, educated, well-mannered man.”
According to the Moiseev system, a dancer needs to develop not only his legs, but also, for example, acting skills. This is important for folk dance, and it is no coincidence that in every work, even in the smallest miniature, there are actors' images.
At each rehearsal, Moiseev advised his students to "turn on their heads." Taking the team on tour, Moiseev personally led his ensemble along the best museums and art galleries.
3. "Hungarian dance"
Moiseev traveled a lot around the country and around the world, he personally searched for and found the right momentum, movements, moods. Ensemble dances are not pure folk dances.
They are processed by a master, and Moiseev himself said that the ability to think out in the vein in which a piece of music was created requires a special flair. The famous choreographer considered joy to be a prerequisite for creating a folk dance.
“Folk dance results when the heart is light and cheerful. Man must be an optimist, he is born to be an optimist. And the surrounding circumstances make us a pessimist.”
Moiseev admitted that sometimes in order to radiate joy and optimism, he had to commit "violence on the soul." Especially when there were no prerequisites for optimism. But it was necessary, because the more pessimism in the world, the more optimism had to be given to a person in art.
4. "Tatarochka"
The dancers said that "Tatarochka" is one of the most difficult dances, in which they had to perform a huge number of small foot movements for a long time, to the point of nausea. The master was stubborn. Dancers could perfect the same movement for months.
"Comrades, why are you like sleepy flies?"
The strict Moiseev kept repeating. He rarely praised. His highest praise was the phrase:
"Well, now like adults."
5. "Kalmyk dance"
Contrary to the beliefs of the Kalmyk Buddhists, Moiseev knew for sure that the soul is immortal and in every new life it incarnates into a new living being. He believed that talent is the knowledge accumulated by the soul in a previous life.
“The spiritual wealth gained through art and culture is the only thing we can take away with us. This is what feeds the soul. After death, a person does not lose this, and another time is born with the acquired spiritual wealth that he acquired earlier,
The maestro spoke.
6. "Finnish polka"
Moiseev's colleagues were surprised when the master decided to stage a Finnish dance. It seemed to them that Finnish folk dances were boring and monotonous. But it was not there. Working on the movements, the master brought them to the point of absurdity.
“Absurdity is what the public adores. See how logically and well one absurd movement flows from another!”
7. Dance of the Argentine shepherds "Gaucho"
This dance is considered Moses' masterpiece. Looking at these fellows, it is hard to believe that it was not easy for them to perform.
As soloist Rudy Khojoyan recalled, the clothes of the Argentine shepherd were terribly uncomfortable, and the spurs on his boots were incredibly heavy. It would be difficult for a simple person in such an outfit to walk, let alone dance.
8. "Night on Bald Mountain"
This dance to the music of Mussorgsky is another non-random link in the work of the great Moiseev. The future choreographer was born in Kyiv. His father was a nobleman, lawyer Alexander Moiseev, and his mother was a French milliner. Father and mother met in Paris, in a cafe where seamstresses ran to have a bite to eat during their lunch break.
Igor Moiseev was brought up in a French boarding school for a long time, he knew French perfectly. The family lived in two countries. At some point, they decided to finally move to France, and even a ticket was bought, but the First World War began, and the Moiseevs remained in Russia.
9. "Russian dance"
In 1955, the ensemble made a splash in France. The French did not even think that such art could exist in the Soviet Union. This has not happened since Diaghilev's Russian Seasons. Queues lined up for the concerts of the group, and the group itself performed at the Grand Opera - an unheard of honor, which no folk group has ever been awarded before or since.
"If concerts don't make you go on a rampage, then you're crazy"
Wrote French newspapers.
Since then, the team has increasingly begun to release abroad. Moiseev recalled that he was envied:
“Well, comrade, you are all traveling abroad on business trips!”
The party bosses dragged on with displeasure. However, they had nothing to complain about. From business trips, Moiseev brought checks for a million dollars to the state treasury.
10. Performance of the Moiseev Ensemble at Eurovision
In 2009, the Moiseev ensemble performed enchantingly at the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Moscow. True, the founding father of the team was no longer in the box. The legendary choreographer died in 2007. Fate generously measured him 101 years.
It is striking that Moiseev admitted that he organized the ensemble “not because of a good life”, but because he was expelled from the Bolshoi. While still a very young man, he became a choreographer. I put "Spartacus", but the envy of my colleagues intervened.
“They told me: you can dance, but we won’t let you stage. For me it was a tragedy. Creativity was more important to me than performance,
I remember Moiseev.
The choreographer left and organized his own ensemble.
There was a war, but Moiseev was given money for the ensemble. And then - the will of providence. Once Moiseev was lucky enough to meet with Stalin himself, and the leader ordered that the young teacher be given the best room in Moscow for the ensemble.
What's this? Luck? Luck? Moiseev grinned and said:
“You know, luck doesn't exist. There is spiritual work and spiritual experience, which is transmitted with each subsequent rebirth of the soul.
It has already entered the cultural heritage of choreographic art not only in Russia, but throughout the world. This group was one of the first to engage in the popularization and artistic stylization of folklore dances of different peoples.
The ensemble was created on February 10, 1937. 30 dancers were selected, who held the first rehearsal under the guidance of the choreographer's house in Leontievsky lane, house 4.
Initially, the leader suggested professionally, with a creative approach to process the folklore standards of dances of representatives of the peoples of the USSR that existed at that time.
But for this it was necessary to study the existing choreographic material well. Members of the ensemble began to go on expeditions around the country, searched for, got acquainted with the historical origin of dances, songs, rituals, bit by bit collecting precious finds of art for them.
The unique, bright original dances assembled by Moiseev’s team made it possible already in 1937-1938 to perform the first program “Dances of the Peoples of the USSR”, and in 1939 the public saw “Dances of the Baltic Peoples” in their performance. The concerts were held with great success and in 1940 the ensemble was given the stage of the Tchaikovsky Hall, and the theater was for a long time the home for the members of the already well-known group in the country.
As for the creative development and improvement of the ensemble members, the tutoring process included almost all types of stage culture: a variety of dances, symphonic music, drama, scenography and acting skills. From this, their productions became more and more vivid, memorable for their expressiveness, unlike each other.
One of the significant pages in the development of the creative potential of the ensemble is the program "Dances of the Slavic Peoples", shown in 1945. This was preceded by the study, development and interpretation of the folklore of the peoples of Europe. Taking on the creation of such a program was a creative feat at the time. Direct access to necessary material was not in force historical events. Therefore, he selflessly searched for ways to recreate samples of European dance art, turning to historians, folklore researchers, musicologists and musicians for help. In 1946, the opportunity to travel abroad appeared, and the ensemble went on a tour of European countries. In Poland, Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, the audience applauded the performers. Fans of choreographic art were delighted and amazed by the unusually creative and faithfully transmitted dance heritage of European peoples.
The program "Peace and Friendship", presented in 1953, was created in close cooperation with talented ballet masters who knew folklore well. Miklos Rabai (Hungary), Lyubusha Ginkova (Czechoslovakia), Ahn Sung Hee (Korea) carried away with his idea. This program brought together examples of European and Asian folk dances from eleven countries.
In 1955, the ensemble became the first of the Soviet bands to go on foreign tours to France and Great Britain, and in 1958 on tour to the USA.
The class-concert "The Road to Dance" (1965) showed his achievement in the field of creating large-scale stage productions. And in 1967, for the program "The Road to Dance" GAANT was the first of the folk dance ensembles to be awarded the title of academic, and was awarded the title of laureate of the Lenin Prize.
In 2007, he died, but the team continues to conquer the world under his name. The ensemble is still the only folk group in the world that has performed at the Opéra Garnier (Paris) and La Scala (Milan). The team got into the Russian Guinness Book of Records as a champion in the number of countries (more than 60) in which it toured.
On account of the Ensemble Grand Prix choreographic award Anita Bucchi (Italy) for the best performance in 2011. At the premiere program on December 20, 2011, UNESCO awarded the ensemble with the Five Continents Medal.
