The ballet world is full of brutality, competition and politics- but none quite like this. This past year Sergei Filin, artistic director of The Bolshoi Ballet- one of the top tier of all ballet companies, was horribly attacked with acid that had nearly blinded him. Pavel Dmitrenchko, a dancer in the company, claims to have arranged two men to beat up Filin, but denies any association to the use of the acid. He is now in a special clinic. Filin is back to Bolshoi but still suffering from the attack-23 operations later.
Full of love for dance and the company, he is helping plan the upcoming season, and trying to make up for everything that occurred during his absence. There has been much controversy and chaos during this time causing some dancers to quit the company. He wants to “restore a sense of unity” at the theater. This even has greatly shifted the environment at the company, and has also brought a new sense of competition to the already brutal ballet world. It has also showed us what it means to really love what you do.
Article Link:http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/17/still-recovering-from-acid-attack-artistic-director-returns-to-bolshoi/?ref=dance
