MOSCOW (AP) — Makhar Vaziev's workday begins before he sets foot inside his office in Moscow's famed Bolshoi Theater.

As he makes his way past the vast columns of the main building, the ballet director pauses to chide a dancer late to class, and then one of his senior coaches, Piotr Nardelli, catches up to him.

The two discuss last-minute details for the Bolshoi's production of Maurice Bejart's "Gaieté Parisienne." The show is in its final rehearsals ahead of its premiere, and there is much to be done.

Vaziev has held the Bolshoi's top creative job since March 2016, when he took over a company...