In this book, Anthony Shay examines the history of the Moiseyev Dance Company and the life and works of its renowned choreographer and founder, Igor Moiseyev. Founded in Moscow in 1937 amid a mass Soviet Union campaign of political repression, Moiseyev’s theatrical dance troupe came to be an international force, transforming the folk traditions of the Soviet Union into a vital diplomatic tool that helped usher in a new era of cultural exchange. The author explores the company through multiple lenses of spectacle, Russian nationalism, and the Cultural Cold War to analyze its history and its enduring contributions to dance and global culture. The first English-language study of its kind, Shay blends academic research with personal anecdote to provide a nuanced analysis of Moiseyev’s importance in choreographic art and his place in the world of dance.

Anthony Shay is professor of dance and cultural studies at Pomona College in California. He is the author of six monographs and four edited volumes, including The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Ethnicity. He is an award-winning dancer and choreographer.

— Russian Art + Culture

— Slavic Review