RUSSIA: A top Russian ballerina, sacked for being too heavy, lost a damages claim for $1 million against the chief of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre yesterday.
Prima ballerina Anastasia Volochkova, fired in September for being too bulky for her partners to lift, sought damages from the Bolshoi's general director, Anatoly Iksanov, for harming her personal and professional reputation.
The case at a Moscow court centred on a newspaper interview with Iksanov headlined: "No one wants to dance with Volochkova."
Her lawyer, Lev Zubovsky, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying the claim was rejected as it was judged to have caused no damage to her honour, professional reputation and dignity.
After the ruling, Volochkova said any head of an institution in the arts should "weigh his words about artists and then talk about weighing ballerinas and actors.
"Ballet is a matter of taste, a matter of personal features and harmony. And harmony on stage means that a tall ballerina must work opposite a tall partner and a smaller ballerina with a smaller partner."
Volochkova was reinstated at the Bolshoi two months after her dismissal but took on no leading roles. She embarked on solo tours and features regularly in Russia's media spotlight.
At 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) and weighing around 50 kg (110 lbs), the blonde ballerina's measurements were considered larger than usual for a dancer. She has dismissed the criticism.
- (Reuters)