Overview

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.

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9781783209996

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Reviews

An insightful study on a cultural phenomenon . . . . Provides an in-depth analysis of the actual choreography itself, as well the political background. If you enjoyed watching Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War, released in 2018, then this is an excellent academic accompaniment to the tragic story of a similar but fictitious dance troupe. --Russian Art + Culture

Author Information

Anthony Shay is professor of dance and cultural studies in the theatre and dance department at Pomona College, USA. He holds a Ph.D. in dance history and theory from the University of California, an MA in anthropology from California State University and an MA in folklore and mythology from UCLA. He is the author of six monographs, including Choreographic Politics: State Folk Dance Companies, Representation and Power (Wesleyan University Press, 2002), which received the CORD prize for Outstanding Dance Publication, and four edited volumes, including the Oxford Handbook of Dance and Ethnicity (2016). He is an award winning dancer and choreographer.

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