Igor Moiseyev saw himself as a choreographic portraitist of nations. "I try to understand a nation not only through its dances, but also from its music, history, traditions and customs," he said. "And after this I try to use my own abilities to stress specific details which help reflect the character of the nation ever more vividly."

 

He became convinced that folk dancing needed a new life on stage. Whereas conventional folk dance is essentially a participatory activity, more interesting to do than watch, he wanted to create a theatrical form that would find its natural place before an audience.

 

Mr. Moiseyev attributed his dancers’ virtuosity and versatility to their training in classical ballet, which he described in a 1970 interview as“the grammar of movement.”

 

“With ballet technique as a base,” he added, “one can do everything.”

 

“Everything I’ve done, I love. If you’re not in love, you can’t create. And if you’re calm when you’ve created something, you can rest assured that you’ve created nothing.”

 

 

Links to articles on Igor Moiseyev

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/igor-moiseyev-399036.html

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/03/AR2007110301134_2.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Moiseyev