In Russia, Ballet Dancers Questioned About Acid Attack

Artistic director of Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre, Sergei Filin, speaks to Russian TV about the acid attack. (Screenshot from BBC)

Detectives have been questioning members of the Bolshoi Ballet about the acid attack that nearly blinded the director of the company two weeks ago.

• Bolshoi Ballet Director Injured In Acid Attack

Sergei Filin, center, poses with members of the Bolshoi Theater company in September 2011. (Mikhail Metzel/AP)

It’s expected that it will take artistic director Sergei Filin months to recover, but he recently delivered a pep talk to backstage dancers via Skype from his hospital bed.

In TV interviews, Sergei has suggested that he was attacked for trying to take the 237-year-old state institution in new directions during the two years that he’s led the company.

Ellen Barry of The New York Times tells us there’s a great deal of speculation in Moscow about which of the many possible motives is the ‘live’ one in the criminal investigation.

The theories include an insane fan, a ticket mafia, professional grudges, love affairs and financial corruption during the theater’s historic renovations.

• New York Times: Shaken but Determined, the Bolshoi Dances On
• Wall Street Journal: Protecting Ballet’s Global Reach

Guest:

• Ellen Barry, Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times. She tweets @EllenBarryNYT.