Igor Moiseyev Ballet is consistently acclaimed throughout the world as the greatest of all folk dance groups and you are about to see why.
In the performance below, the dancers fill the stage to perform “Summer” with music by S. Galperin and V. Zmykhov and choreography by the ballet company’s founder, Igor Alexandrovich Moiseyev.
This Russian folk-inspired dance opens with a male and female dancer taking center stage, as 48 other dancers stand behind them and watch. The man kicks his legs out and stomps and moves much like a Russian dancer performing the famous Russian squat dance would and the squats do come, but a little later in the dance.
Soon, the two dancers are accompanied by the other male dancers who stomp, clap and strike the soles of their feet and perform the telltale squats and lunges characteristic of Russian folk dance. The women spin, twirl and carry out intricate footwork. Throughout the performance, there is a marvelous synchronicity and energy between the dancers.
Moiseyev was considered one of the greatest 20th-century choreographers of character dance, a form very similar to folk dance but infused with more theatrics. He brought the professional aesthetic to the troupe, who began to tour the globe and gain an international reputation. The Company has earned many international honors over the years, among them the “Five continents” medal awarded by UNESCO.
Today, the dance company has around 300 dancers who perform the folk dances such as the one in the video above, along with one-act ballets.
The Company currently performs out of the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, Russia.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.