Dec 08, 2017
By Michael Kramer
The historic Bolshoi Theater is premiering a ballet about superstar dancer Rudolf Nureyev – after the original opening was postponed and its director was arrested.
The Moscow opening was cancelled in July on short notice – which led to concerns that the ballet’s frank treatment of Nureyev’s same-sex relationships may have offended Russian authorities.
Director Kirill Serebrennikov was arrested in August on charges of embezzling more than $1 million in state funds.
The move raised concerns about a possible return of Soviet-style arts repression – because the director’s productions have offended social conservatives in the past.
Bolshoi director Vladimir Urin says the show opening Saturday is unchanged – from the one that was cancelled.
Rudolf Nureyev died in 1993.
The dancer rose to fame with the Kirov Ballet – before his defection to America in 1961.
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