THE posters had been printed, and most of the tickets sold. The ballet, a celebration of the life of the gay dissident dancer, Rudolf Nureyev, promised to be a progressive production by the standards of the main stage of Russia’s famed Bolshoi Theatre: in videos of the rehearsal, male dancers can be seen twirling in high heels. But just days before the show was due to open in July, the Bolshoi’s director, Vladimir Urin, declared that the troupe was, apparently, not up to snuff and cancelled the premiere, replacing it with an old standby, “Don Quixote”.
Critics called it blatant censorship of the play’s homosexual themes. State media fuelled this speculation, citing anonymous sources that said the order had come directly from the minister of culture, Vladimir Medinsky, a nationalist enamoured of classicism and traditional values. Other powerful patrons of the Bolshoi, though, spoke out in support of the ballet. Mr Urin now promises that “Nureyev” will live to see the stage,...Continue reading
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