born Jan. 21, 1906, Kiev, Ukraine, Russian Empire
Russian dancer, choreographer, and founder-director of the State Academic Folk Dance Ensemble, popularly called the Moiseyev Ensemble.
He joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1924. In 1936 he became head choreographer at Moscow's Theatre of Folk Art, and he later founded the State Academic Folk Dance Ensemble, in which ballet professionals performed dances from all U.S.S.R. republics. His choreography combined authentic folk-dance steps with theatrical effects, and he created more than 170 dances for the ensemble. The ensemble served as a model for other countries in subsequently forming their own folk-dance ensembles.