After joining the Bolshoi, he came into the circle of the People's Commissar for Education, Anatoly Lunacharsky. At 24, by way of helping out at the theater, he made his debut as a choreographer. His colleagues were struck by the fact that Moiseyev not only "rescued" a premier that was facing major setbacks but also came up with spectacular dance sequences for the ballet The Footballer, the very title of which made even experienced directors thrown up their hands in frustration. Moiseyev's found himself in great demand, working on legendary parades in Red Square, replete with pyramids, acrobatic stunts and hundreds of participants marching in ever-changing formations. He approached each task in front of him with enthusiasm and always found a way to showcase his talent.

During this period, Moiseyev had his eyes on becoming the Bolshoi's chief choreographer. In the end, however, Rostislav Zakharov got the job. It was here that Moiseyev showed off one of his main talents: the ability to turn setbacks to his advantage. He abandoned his plans to create multi-act ballets and developed an interest in the folk dances of different nations around the world. It was a revolutionary idea at the time—before Moiseyev this type of choreography had been a mere element in classical ballets and was not considered to have artistic merit on its own. Moiseyev reached out to contacts he had in high places and immediately got permission to set up an ensemble.

After the war, the ensemble gained increased international recognition. Its dancers entered destroyed cities in Eastern Europe almost in unison with the Soviet Army. Their performances brought back some of the things that were forgotten during years of war: beauty, joy, celebration, love and faith. The language of dance did not require translation. The ensemble performed a new program called Dances of the Slavic Peoples in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and other socialist countries.

Spectators were amazed at how authentically Moiseyev could transfer folk traditions to the stage. But the paradox in this was that the choreographer had not even had the chance to study folklore. His talent manifested itself in the ability to identify and highlight, based on photographs, pictures and musicians' stories, the key movements in different national dances and then, using his own imagination, come up with ways of framing them effectively.

The ensemble went on to perform for audiences in Mexico, Asia and Western Europe, becoming a key symbol of Soviet art. It was the first dance troupe to break through the Iron Curtain, performing triumphantly in Paris and the United States—even before the Bolshoi—and later at the Palais Garnier in Paris and La Scala in Milan.

Even today, 10 years after the death of its founder, the Moiseyev Ensemble continues to tour the world almost non-stop, breaking attendance records along the way. The most popular performances remain those created by Moiseyev himself—A Road to Dance, The Partisans, Aragon Jota and others, which are arguably as esteemed and valued as Swan Lake at the Bolshoi Theater.