Bolshoi and top dancer spar over acid attack claims

The general director of Russia's Bolshoi Theatre was engaged in a war of words Wednesday with a star dancer whom he said was partly to blame for the acid attack on its ballet chief Sergei Filin. Bolshoi general director Anatoly Iksanov accused dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze, a star at the theatre for over a decade, of creating the atmosphere that led to the attack against Filin. Tsiskaridze, 39, bit back by vehemently denying the charges and accusing Iksanov in turn of serial violations and ruining the theatre's reputation. "I have just one feeling: that what happened is the natural result of the mayhem that was created above all by Nikolai Maximovich Tsiskaridze," Iksanov told Snob magazine. "The background that made this tragedy possible was the mud-slinging at the theatre and its staff, the constant intrigues and his certainty of his own impunity," Iksanov told the magazine's website.He described Tsiskaridze as a "man with crazy ambitions" who after being passed over as ballet chief wanted the job as general director or even music director, a post that is reserved for a conductor. Iksanov alleged there were "no doubts" Tsiskaridze was involved in a defamation campaign involving the leaking of photos of a gay sex orgy against dancer Gennady Yanin in 2011 when he was seen as a contender for the top ballet job. "Who was interested in the sidelining of Yanin? At that time Tsiskaridze was actively fighting for the post of artistic director," said Iksanov. In an interview with the same magazine, Tsiskaridze said he "has no connection to this tragic situation (the attack on Filin) except sympathy for Sergei.""Why was there any need to utter my name in connection with this terrible crime?" he asked. "There has not been such a scandal on an international scale at the Bolshoi for some time." He denied any connection to the alleged sex orgy scandal that brought down Yanin, saying he had long been friends with the dancer. The comments emphasised how the horrific attack last month has now developed into possibly the ugliest scandal in the theatre's history since it was established in 1776. Filin earlier this week left Russia for further treatment in Germany as he battles to save his eyesight and limit facial disfigurement from the attack in which an unknown assailant splashed a jar of sulphuric acid in his face. Investigators have interviewed staff at the theatre, including Tsiskaridze, but have yet to announce any progress in the probe.Tsiskaridze denied allegations of links to Russian businessmen and said he would only be interested in taking on a higher post if he was offered one by the ministry of culture. The Bolshoi has continued its performances as normal amid the furore, although it has been forced to postpone an eagerly awaited new version in March of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" by British dancemaker Wayne McGregor. Tsiskaridze on Sunday himself returned to the Bolshoi stage to dance the role of the Evil Genius in the classic Russian ballet "Swan Lake", according to its website. Iksanov said that according to Russian law he could not fire Tsiskaridze but the dancer may be given a reprimand for his criticism for the management. He also laid into the artistic reputation of Tsiskaridze, a high-profile figure whose television career has now extended to judging talent shows. "Tsiskaridze had got used to being a star. And he cannot accept his fall," said Iksanov. The dancer snapped back: "Iksanov is insulting me in all kinds of media... But who am I? Who am I? I have been an artist at the Bolshoi for 21 seasons and this is not the last."