Published on: 2026-09-25
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Can a performance go without words? What does dance take on when the actor falls silent? How do the director and choreographer create something that the audience will feel with every cell? And who is he — the person who devised the movement for “The Opera of the Beggars,” “Macbeth,” “The Scarlet Flower,” and “The Handsome-Man” in A.S. Pushkin Theater? Actor and choreographer Nikita Pirozhkov explained how movement drives the plot and named productions worth seeing this season to rediscover the art of movement.
The word ends — movement begins
In drama theaters, choreography long remained secondary: it opened the stage, filled pauses, transferred the action from one state to another. The A.S. Pushkin Theater is one where movement is treated differently. The tone was set by choreographer Sergey Zemlyansky: in the performances “The Lady of the Camellias,” “Mother’s Field,” and “Joan of Arc,” the performers reject text — and movement tells about tragedy, war, or loss louder than words. This line is continued by Nikita Pirozhkov, but in his own way: the word remains, and the plasticity picks it up and leads it further. The viewer hears the lines — and simultaneously reads the body. But how is this achieved in the performance?
Mood as a starting point
It’s always interesting to see how a choreographer and director work on a production. What do they draw inspiration from when they have only an idea and still raw material? Where does the movement of the performance begin?
“From reading the material and talking with the director,” notes the choreographer, “if ‘Crime and Punishment’ is staged authentically, in historical costumes, you study the era, the dances of that time, the mood. The mood while reading often dictates the way of existence.”
This is an important point: movement is not invented independently of the play—it is derived from it. For example, if the director moves the story to the year 2026, then it is necessary to find a connection between today’s physical expressiveness and the theme of the work. The dance can be historical, while the nature of the performer’s movement is contemporary. And here the most difficult part begins: how to maintain one’s own intonation and not contradict the concept?
“I am not a choreographer by education, I am an actor,” notes Nikita Pirozhkov. “But I have danced for many years and love exploring corporeality. Therefore, it is important for me not to express myself, but to unravel the director’s concept — to help the performers connect the internal movement of the role with external expressiveness. Everything is built on dialogue. Sometimes I propose a plastic solution, and the director says: ‘The performer doesn’t need this, he can manage on his own.’ Then I give freedom and do not insist. But an argument makes sense when there is a process of searching: ‘Let’s try it this way.’ If the experiment has potential — one can insist. If not — do not continue. The concept is primary, and the plasticity follows it.”
Every artist is a separate universe
If the director and choreographer set the direction, and the performers embody the idea — how is the entire work structured as a whole? Nikita Pirozhkov emphasizes that each actor requires a special approach: “In theater, dance is always an individual story. One performer feels the material themselves and offers interesting movement — all that’s left is to adjust it. Another needs long work on their body or a simplification of the pattern so that they can ‘complete’ it with their own existence.”
You cannot become a good choreographer without emotional intelligence: you need to understand what is easy and what is difficult for the artist, how much strength and desire they have. Sometimes you have to read what the person does not say — what kind of energy and message they emit during the work. If the artist shuts down, cannot go beyond the limits in their mind, it’s pointless to bang on a closed door. Sometimes you need to give the artist more freedom so they feel charming on stage, — and thus stimulate his imagination. But what prevents him from leaving the confines of the usual role?
“There is a mistaken opinion about what I am like,” reflects Nikita Pirozhkov. “We all suffer from this: it seems to me that I am like this and should move exactly this way, but the role and task of the director offer a new way of being. If I think that it doesn’t suit me, then we won’t make anything work. But by doing so, I deny myself the opportunity to develop, to expand my range, and perhaps even open new doors in the profession. Therefore, I want to wish everyone, including myself, to trust the director and not be afraid to embark on uncharted journeys together with the choreographer.”
Another piece of advice is to periodically practice dance in various styles and with different instructors, in order to feel your body and be able to control it.
How is the mood created in the production?
“Suppose the actor has a monologue about betrayal,” explains Nikita Pirozhkov. “The director doesn’t want him to just stand still. Then everyday movements are possible, which reveal hidden anxiety — there should be many of them, but they should be restrained. The plastic pattern helps the actor to experience the emotion that the character feels.”
The balance between word and movement is found during rehearsal. At first, there are many plastic variations: the actor has not yet covered the distance of the role — the conventional measure of the actor’s detachment from the character. By the time of the run-throughs, when the arc appears (how the character changes throughout the plot), it becomes clear where the expression should be vivid and where it should be restrained. Then the pattern is either simplified or complicated depending on the dramaturgy, the actor, and the specific scene.
Here counterpoint works: when a person says one thing, but the body reveals their true feelings. This is how we see the different moods of the main characters in the production. “Servant of Two Masters”, where emotions are conveyed through movement. Characters say one thing, but expressive gestures, bright costumes, and dances sometimes change or complement the meaning of what is said.
The counterpoint in the premiere is especially vivid “The Opera of the Poor” with Maksim Matveyev. Nikita Pirozhkov explains: “I was interested in highlighting a sharp, satirical theme with simple, conventional movements. There are no dances in the play, but there is a counterpoint: the characters speak significantly, but move to the “Dance of the Little Ducks.” This deliberate simplicity combined with serious themes creates a paradoxical effect.”
While working on the production, Nikita Pirozhkov not only tried various plastic solutions but also found a personal revelation and value in the project: “I worked as a choreographer with Evgeny Pisarev, my mentor from Schools-MKhAT studios. For the first time, we were not director and actor, but director and choreographer. This transition to a new level and co-creation with the team is very valuable to me. I think it shows in the performance. Come and see for yourself.
What distinguishes a talented dancer
Moving from premiers to eternal questions: is there a formula for success in dancing? And how do dancers become outstanding? What distinguishes an artist whom you want to watch endlessly?
“When I watch a dance as a spectator,” says Nikita Pirozhkov, “I am attracted by the combination of physical and emotional expressiveness, the understanding of what movement you are making. It is always visible when a performer is just executing and when they exist within the piece. I myself strive to move away from merely performing tasks towards appropriating the movement vocabulary.”
Through plasticity, the artist enters into a personal nonverbal dialogue with the viewer who has come today. If this exchange of energy and impulse occurs, the viewer feels the mood from the very first second. This is exactly what happens during the performance. “Drums in the Night”, where the dance conveys delight, fear, and horror, allowing the audience to empathize with the characters of the brilliant German playwright Bertolt Brecht.
Performances where movement leads the way
But which productions does the choreographer himself consider important for his journey? Answering this question, Nikita Pirozhkov names three works where dance becomes part of the plot and a way of communicating with the audience:
““Handsome man” Danila Chashchina is my first experience as a choreographer. Alexander Ostrovsky’s play has been brought into the modern era, and I was interested in finding an anachronistic plastic expressiveness in this context — it turned out to be multi-dimensional.
“The Scarlet Flower” — a children’s fairy tale, Russian music. I have not professionally practiced folk dance. It was interesting to fantasize in the genre of homage to Russian folk dance together with the performers.
“Macbeth. Cabaret” — this is entirely my work as a director and choreographer. The performers recite the poetic text of William Shakespeare, and during rehearsals, I explored how to relate this dramaturgy to movement: sometimes separating them, and sometimes weaving them together so that no seam remains between the plasticity and the action.
These productions are the perfect starting point to rediscover movement.
What to watch this season?
“I definitely recommend “Mother Field” Sergey Zemlyansky’s work based on the story by Chingiz Aitmatov, — shares Nikita Pirozhkov. — It is a plastic (physical) performance without text. When I watched it, it seemed to me that they were speaking to me through music and movement, sharing intimate thoughts and terrible experiences. As expressive means, the artists can use only their bodies and energy — and it works very powerfully. And of course, the premiere of “The Poor People’s Opera” deserves special audience attention.
Nikita Pirozhkov is confident: for a movement to become an expression, one needs to trust the director and not be afraid to explore new choreography. These words are the key to everything happening on the stage of the A.S. Pushkin Theater. Come and see for yourself — tickets for the theater’s performances can be purchased through the service “Mosbilet”.
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Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.