Russian Minister for Culture Vladimir Medinsky might have intervened to prompt the Bolshoi Theatre to postpone a much-awaited ballet premiere about the life of dancer Rudolf Nureyev, the Russian news agency TASS has reported.
TASS cited a source close to the Russian Ministry for Culture saying Medinsky had concerns that the production violated a controversial Russian law that bans “the propaganda of homosexuality to minors.”
A ministry spokeswoman denied Medinsky had banned the production from going ahead, but confirmed a “long conversation” had taken place between the minister and theater director Vladimir Urin.
Photo: AP
Urin on Monday held a news conference in an ornate hall at the theatre at which he furiously denied rumors that the shock last-minute postponement was due to gay themes in the production.
He also denied he had spoken about the ballet with Medinsky, except for a brief conversation held after the decision was taken to postpone.
“There was no phone call. I don’t know who is behind these provocative claims,” Urin said.
Photo: AFP
He insisted that the decision to postpone the premiere until May next year had been taken for artistic reasons only.
“There will be reputational damage from canceling, but for us the most important thing is the quality of the production,” Urin said.
Nureyev is a ballet adaptation of the life of the Soviet ballet superstar, who defected to the West in 1961.
It was due to premiere on the Bolshoi’s stage yesterday and was one of the most eagerly anticipated global premieres of the year.
However, the Bolshoi late on Saturday said on its Web site it would not take place, with no future date set — a move critics said was unprecedented in the theater’s modern history.
The ballet deals with Nureyev’s homosexuality and is said to feature naked portraits of the dancer.
Urin said he had been aware from the start that the theme would prove controversial in Russia, but insisted this was not the reason for the sudden decision.
Urin said he took the decision to postpone the show having seen a dress rehearsal on Friday last week and deciding that it would not be artistically ready in time.
He said the ballet would be shown in May and no artistic changes would be made.
However, he did appear to allude to the homosexual theme, saying Nureyev was a “complicated figure” and the ballet contained “themes that could provoke a certain distaste.”
Many questioners appeared incredulous about the official explanation, leading Urin to snap that people were free to disbelieve him should they wish.
Simon Morrison, a professor at Princeton University who has written a book on the Bolshoi, said footage posted online from the dress rehearsal did appear to show that the performance was “shaky” and that on that evidence, artistic concerns could have been involved in the decision to postpone.
The ballet’s director, Kirill Serebrennikov, is one of Russia’s most innovative theater and film directors, but he has been questioned by security agencies in recent weeks over a potential embezzlement case that many believe is politically motivated.
Neither Serebrennikov nor choreographer Yuri Possokhov have commented on the theater’s decision. Urin said they had been invited to speak at Monday’s briefing, but declined to attend.
Under Russian legislation, any event or act regarded by the authorities as an attempt to promote homosexuality to minors is illegal and punishable by a fine.
Additional reporting by Reuters and AFP
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