Dead Souls

“The gallopade was flying at full tilt: the postmaster’s wife, the police captain, the lady with the blue feather, the lady with the white feather, the Georgian prince Chipkhaykhilidzev, the official from Petersburg, the official from Moscow, the Frenchman Kuku, Perkhunovsky, Berebendovsky—all had risen and were sweeping along” (N.V. Gogol. “Dead Souls”).

Gallopade (from the French galopade) – a ballroom dance in a fast tempo, first mentioned in Russia in “Rules for Noble Social Dances” in 1825. The description of the gallopade in Gogol’s poem creates a sense of life rushing in an incredible whirlwind, having lost its reliable point of support.

Vladimir Ivanov, director: Originally our play was called “Gallopade,” but we settled on the more traditional “Dead Souls.” Gallopade is a special kind of dance where a gentleman and a lady, embracing each other, leap forward together. In this phrase, in this definition, lies the meaning and quintessence of the idea for our play, which will become a hymn to acting, to the Theater. This is the main thing, because Gogol is bottomless, he is an incredible author, and we understand that we can only show one side of him.