Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow sued by dancer
It’s another round of legal woes for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow: One of its top dancers is suing the company to annul two reprimands he received for talking to the media.
Following an acid attack on the Bolshoi’s artistic director, Segei Filin, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, 39, publicly criticized the company’s general director and called for the removal of theater executives.
The Georgian-born dancer petitioned a Moscow court Tuesday to annul the reprimands, which could lead to his dismissal.
Assailants on Jan. 17 threw acid on Filin, causing third-degree burns on his face, neck and eyes. According to Moscow police, Bolshoi principal dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko confessed to organizing the attack. He is currently in jail awaiting trial.
Tsiskaridze was the first to be questioned as a witness by police after the attack. He later told the Russian newspaper Gazeta.ru that he didn’t think Dmitrichenko planned the assault.
“I think that this is related to the criticism that they didn’t, and won’t, find anyone. Now they are making it look like they did,” Tsiskaridze said.
Dmitrichenko last month confessed to the assault on camera. “I organized the attack, but not to the extent of the damage that happened,” he told Russian news Channel One.
Filin is undergoing medical treatments in Germany to help restore his sight and has said he wants to return to work later this year.
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