Prince Mahidol Hall, Salaya, Thailand
3 and 4 November 2026
Reviewed by Alida Segal
Having seen a post on Facebook only two weeks ago with the news that the Moiseyev Ballet would be performing in Bangkok on 3 and 4 November, I immediately booked my flights, accommodation and tickets to both performances. If you have never seen this company, you may not “get” the outrageous lengths to which I would go, so let me explain…
I first saw them in 1968, at the age of eight, and it was love at first sight! Little did I know then just how much they would impact my life. It was the beginning of what has become my life’s work.
While I continued my ballet training, I began character dance classes, first weekly, then twice weekly, with the wonderful Marina Berezowsky AM, whose recommendation led to my acceptance to study at the Moiseyev School in Moscow at age 16. Spending a year with them in 1977–78 was a privilege, an honour, a life-changing time. Tchaikovsky Hall became my “home”.
Graduating in 1978, I returned (reluctantly) to Melbourne to dance with the Kolobok Dance Company and, for several years after, went back to Moscow during all holiday periods. Fast forward decades through life’s dramas and curveballs, and I have lost count of the number of times I have visited Moscow to see the company. I have even travelled to Hong Kong and here to Thailand especially to see them.
So why, you ask…? What’s so special about this company? Where do I begin? They are simply the most exhilarating, exciting and electrifying company I have ever seen. Technical brilliance mixed with drama and comedy; the most glorious choreographic designs, performed by dancers who speak directly to your heart, with music that moves your soul. It transcends language, uplifts your spirit and leaves you wanting to see it all over again.
The dancers are all classically trained and perform incredible jumps, fast turning sequences and complex rhythmic progressions with exceptional precision en masse and an ease so natural that it is seemingly effortless.
The program opened with the iconic Moiseyev choreography, Summer. A visual delight demonstrating individual virtuosity and ensemble unity, with formations seamlessly flowing into and out of each other, creating a kaleidoscopic display.
Next, a trio of men performed the Kalmyk dance. Dressed all in black, the dancers depict three ravens flying and fighting, showing the reverence the Kalmyk people have for nature and animals.
Another trio followed, this time from Tatarstan, in the south of Russia. The central female role was danced beautifully by Olga Volina, whose tiny frame (not much more than 1.5 metres) flies across and around the stage at breakneck speed before the two male dancers join in.
Polianka comes next with six girls and six boys, seemingly youthful, childlike dancers meeting in a glade to play and dance. Their energy is infectious and has you bouncing in your seat with feet tapping and hands clapping. Each of the dancers shows their individual prowess as the music accelerates, with each becoming more and more virtuosic.
The Nanai Boys Wrestling is always fun for the audience. The Nanai are an indigenous people of the Amur River region in Russia’s Far East. This piece, unaccompanied by music, takes years to perfect and shows the traditional wrestling culture among boys and men in tribal life, where the two must remain in close contact with clasped hands around each other. One must be pushed off his feet and “sent to the mat” whilst maintaining that connection.
Throughout the piece, the audience giggles and laughs at the antics of the “boys”. The amazing thing about this dance is that it’s performed by only one man! Doubled over, using his hands as his opponent’s feet, he is almost blind, with his head down and covered by the costume of his “opponent”. I remember my astonishment on seeing this for the first time, and the revelation at the very end that it is only one single person always receives gasps of glee and delight.
Closing the first act was a suite of Moldovan dances called Cunning Makanu, which is the literal translation of its Russian title. The titular role, Makanu, is more cheeky than cunning (in my opinion) and plays practical jokes on his friends before convincing a very shy young man to steal a kiss from the young lady he has his eye on.
It’s full of fun and charm, and anyone familiar with the typical Aussie larrikin could easily relate to his antics. After a lyrical Hora danced by the women, the entire ensemble joins in and dances the joyous Zhok and then the dynamic finale, Sirba. Once again, the speed of footwork displayed is completely mind-boggling.
The second act, Dances of the Peoples of the World, includes a range of international repertoire from Asia, Europe and the Americas: Chinese Ribbon Dance; Korean Dance with Fans; Mexican Suite; Aragonian (Spanish) Jota; Argentinian Gaucho; The Mongolian Statuette; and fragments of the Naval Suite, finishing with a reprise of the finale from Summer.
What is fascinating is how the dancers transform so completely in each dance. One moment, they are leaping and twirling like Chinese acrobats with ribbons several metres long and the next, they are Argentinian horsemen, galloping across the plains, roping cattle. Their ability to change their appearance like chameleons, from fiery Spaniards to demure Korean ladies dexterously managing complex fan actions while dancing, defies description.
The genius of Igor Moiseyev’s choreography is obvious, but the dancers themselves, all masters of balletic and dramatic skill, bring his works to life with boundless energy and total conviction.
Arriving in Bangkok on 1 November, fresh from a week’s performances in Tokyo, they performed at Prince Mahidol Hall, Mahidol University, Salaya, on 3 and 4 November. Departing Bangkok on 5 November, they were expected back on their home stage of Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow for a performance on 6 November. I’m sure they are exhausted. Knowing their hectic touring schedule and seeing the amount of energy they expend in each performance, you can’t help but be in awe.
Anywhere they go, the audience goes mad. Applause comes spontaneously, even mid-dance, and cheers of “Bravo” frequently punctuate the performance. Standing ovations are not a rarity, and one is always left wanting more.
So, was it worth flying nine hours and being stuck for hours in Bangkok traffic to see them perform? You bet! And I’ll do it again and again and again, at any opportunity I get!