"Born in Kiev in 1906 the name of Igor Moiseyev was made famous by the style named after him: he created it by mixing the elements of dances of different nationalities and classical ballet.His world-famous ballet group bearing his name was founded in 1937. Moiseyev fought hard with the „experts” to be able to enforce his ideas – the strong representation of the unity of action in dance, as well as the mixing of folk dance and academic ballet elements-, but he also had to battle with his dancers too until he formed their own style.
Their first performance “National Dances of the Soviet Union” made them famous instantly. Later they performed action-packed ballets and genres. Their unique style, the scenic folk dance was formed after long and hard work. It needed dancers with special talent and experience, so in 1943 the group founded a dance studio to ensure the rising generation of future dancers. Getting into the group was a status in itself: Moiseyev chose from the applicants himself, placing great emphasis on the suitability and talent of dancers, and, in case of women, beauty too.
The art of Igor Moiseyev was recognized with several awards. He became People’s Artist of the USSR, has several USSR State Prizes, the Lenin prize, the prize of the Dance Magazine and the American dance „Oscar”. The French National Assembly gave him an Honour membership and he was awarded in Hungary too. On his 100th birthday Igor Moiseyev was visited by Vladimir Putin in his own home and given the latest of his many awards. He died in November 2007 aged 101 but his dance group is still working successfully.
So far the group had over 300 shows; they are still extremely popular in their home country and all over the world. The Moiseyev group has always been known for their perfect preparedness, rich choreography, virtuosity and the harmony of the amazing spectacle of music and stylized folk costumes. The group has visited over 60 countries all over the world and completed more than 160 foreign tours. Since 1946 they have visited Budapest 10 times, the last time in 2002, all shows bringing great success.
Their last performance was held in the SYMA Hall (Formerly known as the SAP Hall). The two performances were seen by 8000 people and due to the huge interest another, special New Year’s show was organized on 1 January in the Erkel Theatre. The demand was so high that an afternoon performance was scheduled before the main evening show and further two were held in Győr and Debrecen, bringing the total number of the audience to almost 20 thousand in 2002."
Source: Budapest Tourism Office
22.11.2008