Russia's king of folk dance dies at 101
By MARIA DANILOVA Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 11/02/2007 05:50:21 AM PDT

MOSCOW—Igor Moiseyev, who transformed folk dance into a legitimate genre of choreographic art that won worldwide acclaim, died Friday in Moscow. He was 101.

Moiseyev had been unconscious for the past three days and died in a Moscow hospital, said Yelena Shcherbakova, director of the Moiseyev Dance Company, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

Moiseyev, called the king of folk dance, attracted the West to Russian culture at a time of deep political hostility and won standing ovations around the world.