Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

No right to interfere in our private lives (February 12 2013)Svetlana Lunkina the 33 year old Russian Bolshoi principal ballerina having trained under the great Soviet ballerina Ekaterina Maximova under whose leadership at 18 years of age she became the youngest dancer in the history of the company to perform the title role in Giselle. Lunkina is the subject of an article published in the Independent by Matilda Battersby titled ‘Bolshoi ballerina Svetlana Lunkina says she’s been driven from Russia by ‘threats’’, following the acid attack on artistic director Sergei Filin two weeks ago, and general director Anatoly Iksanov stating that ‘evil’ has entered the company. Battersby states “…the company’s top ballerina [Lunkina] has revealed she has moved to Canada in response to unspecified “threats”. …Lunkina has left Russia claiming that threats had been made towards herself and her film producer husband. Lunkina… told Russian newspaper Izvestia: “I think we need to react to these threats. These people have no right to interfere in our private lives or my professional work.” The 33-year-old dancer’s unspecified allegations suggest that the threats were made in connection with a film project involving her husband. She had been due to perform in Stravinksy’s The Rite of Spring later this year. “I was supposed to be doing a lot of interesting work, including several premieres,” she said. While believed to be unconnected the news of Lunkina’s departure from Russia comes at a dark time for the Bolshoi after its well-liked artistic director Sergei Filin, 42, was brutally attacked in Moscow on 17 January. A masked man threw sulphuric acid in his face as Filin was returning home after a party.

Inspired by Matilda Battersby, The Independent ow.ly/hnHUj Image source Malixia ow.ly/hnIt6

Sergei Yurevitch Filin the 42 year old Russian ballet dancer artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow was attacked with acid by an unknown assailant. He suffered third-degree burns to his face and is in danger of losing his eyesight. The attack came after a lengthy period of infighting and rows within the Bolshoi Ballet company. Ellen Barry has published an article in the New York Times titled ‘Harsh Light Falls on Bolshoi After Acid Attack’, in which she states “The stories about vengeance at the Bolshoi Ballet go back centuries: The rival who hid an alarm clock in the audience, timed to go off during Giselle’s mad scene, or who threw a dead cat onto the stage at curtain in lieu of flowers. There are whispers of needles inserted in costumes, to be discovered in midpirouette, or – the worst – broken glass nestled in the tip of a toeshoe. The ballet has experienced poisonous infighting in recent years as artistic directors have come and gone. But this ballet-loving city awoke … to a special horror. A masked man had flung acid in the face of Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the Bolshoi, causing third-degree burns and severely damaging his eyes. Video from the hospital showed Mr. Filin’s head covered entirely in bandages, with openings for his eyes and mouth, his eyelids grossly swollen. Though police officials said they were exploring theories including disputes over money, Mr. Filin’s colleagues at the Bolshoi said they suspected professional jealousy. In recent weeks Mr. Filin’s tires had been slashed, his car scratched, his two cellphones disabled, his personal e-mail account hacked and private correspondence published, according to Bolshoi officials.”

Inspired by Ellen Barry, New York Times ow.ly/gXHut Image source Bolshoi ow.ly/gXHsr