Lead Dancer Arrested In Connection With Bolshoi Acid Attack

After Sergei Filin was attacked with acid outside his home in Moscow by a masked man, the injured artistic director of the world renowned Bolshoi Ballet told all who would listen that he thought the attack was conceived by someone within the famed company of dancers he managed. Today, that hypothesis took a giant step toward being proven after police arrested lead dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko and two alleged accomplices.

According to The New York Times, police were able to crack the case by examining the phone calls made from a nearby cell phone tower. After a lot of leg work, they reportedly were able to find one of the alleged accomplices who later confessed to being a part of the nefarious plot.

Performers, employees and those closest to the theater company have largely responded to the arrest with shock, though a few possible motives have emerged. Apparently, Dmitrichenko, who played the main role of Ivan The Terrible in a recent production, is close to another dancer named Anzhelina Vorontsova, whose role in the company has been diminished some since Filin took over. Disagreements over salaries and the overall direction of the Bolshoi are also rumored, though, we won’t know more until people start speaking on the record.

Scandals and the Bolshoi have gone hand in hand for practically as long as the ballet company has existed. Most of them have been largely harmless displays of ego, but this acid attack will likely force everyone to take a large step back and re-examine their priorities.