Former Bolshoi dancer asks for ‘proof’ of severity of acid attack
Nikolai Tsiskaridze has some more controversial comments for his former employer.
The Bolshoi ballets’s former lead dancer, who was ousted from the famed company in June, has questioned the severity of the acid attack on the theater’s artistic director Sergei Filin.
“I’m just asking for proof,” he told the Guardian. “Normally a person who has had an acid attack has burnt hands, has no eyelashes or eyebrows, and they can’t use their voice.”
Despite 18 operations, Filin was left nearly blind after a masked man in January threw sulfuric acid into his face.
“Look at women who’ve had chemical peels,” Tsiskaridze added. “How can those statements come from the doctors? It would be against their oath.”
Tsiskaridze, 39, recently completed a guest stint at London’s Coliseum, his first major performance since his much-publicized layoff from the Bolshoi.
The company terminated his contract after Tsiskaridze publicly criticized Bolshoi leadership and general director Anatoly Iksanov, who in July was forced to resign.
In response, Tsiskaridze has filed a lawsuit against Bolshoi.
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