Bolshoi Ballet

When the Kings of the Dance tour -- a showcase of some of the top male dancers in the world -- premiered at the Stanislavsky Musical Theater last week, the representative of the legendary Bolshoi Ballet was South Dakota-born David Hallberg. An American in the Bolshoi? It was unimaginable just months ago. But the Bolshoi did imagine it, and on Sept. 21 what some dubbed a defection in reverse was announced, recalling the days when heralded dancers, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov among them, fled the Soviet Union for Western companies.

MOSCOW - If spring is a season of rebirth, it seems appropriate, if coincidental, that the Bolshoi Ballet is hoping to move past its recent and ugly scandal with performances of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," a dance about the healing power of nature and art. The Bolshoi Theatre festival "The Age of the Rite of Spring - the Age of Modernism" opens this week without its artistic director, Sergei Filin, who had designed the three-week celebration, one...

STAGE Settle in as the Bolshoi Ballet performs one of classical ballet's most famed works: "Swan Lake. " The production was originally choreographed for the Bolshoi by Marius Petipa in 1877. More than a century later the modern version will still take your breath away. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Fri. 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sat. 2 p.m. Sun. $34 to $125. (213) 972-0711; http://www.musiccenter.org .

The Bolshoi Ballet will be the subject of a government audit after January's acid attack on the company's artistic director, according to an Associated Press report. The legendary dance company has been in the international spotlight after assailants threw acid in the face of artistic director Sergei Filin near his Moscow home. PHOTOS: Bolshoi acid attack Russia's audit agency said Thursday that the investigation had been planned in advance, according to the AP. It said the audit isn't linked to the accusations of financial abuse raised by Bolshoi soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko, who was arrested this month on charges of staging the attack on Filin.

Moscow police have isolated three suspects in the bizarre case of an acid attack on Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin. The suspects, one of whom is Bolshoi Ballet principal dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko, were detained and questioned on Tuesday. Police suspect Dmitrichenko may have masterminded the attack, in which sulfuric acid was hurled into Filin's face outside of his home, authorities said. The incident left Filin with third-degree burns and almost blinded him. Yuri Zarutski, 35, is believed to be Filin's assailant.

The Bolshoi Ballet will be the subject of a government audit after January's acid attack on the company's artistic director, according to an Associated Press report. The legendary dance company has been in the international spotlight after assailants threw acid in the face of artistic director Sergei Filin near his Moscow home. PHOTOS: Bolshoi acid attack Russia's audit agency said Thursday that the investigation had been planned in advance, according to the AP. It said the audit isn't linked to the accusations of financial abuse raised by Bolshoi soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko, who was arrested this month on charges of staging the attack on Filin.

Sergei Filin, the artistic director of Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, is traveling to Germany to receive treatment for his injuries sustained from being attacked with acid in January. Filin has said in recent interviews with the BBC News and the New York Times that he is "absolutely certain" he knows who attacked him and that he believes he may have been targeted by a group of people who wanted to replace the theater's leadership.  The acid attack occurred Jan. 17 as Filin was leaving his Moscow home.

[This post has been updated.] The Bolshoi Ballet in Russia has called off its new production of Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," citing the recent acid attack on the company's artistic director, Sergei Filin. The production, which was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Russian composer's work, had been scheduled to debut in late March in Moscow and would have been broadcast to cinemas around the world. Organizers at the Bolshoi said in a statement Thursday that the production will be postponed until "the artistic director of the ballet returns back to the theatre.

The already bizarre case of Sergei Filin, the artistic director of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet who was attacked with acid last month, has a new twist: Suspicions reportedly are now being turned to some dancers within the famed company. Reports over the weekend suggest that officials are now looking at dancers within the Bolshoi as part of their ongoing investigation. ABC News cited an Interfax news agency report, which said that members of the ballet troupe are now considered suspects.  It's unclear which dancers or how many are being investigated. The New York Times cited the same report and also reported over the weekend that the Bolshoi is contemplating suing one of its dancers, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, who has been outspoken about his disagreements with the theater's leadership.  PHOTOS: Arts & culture by The Times Tsiskaridze has reportedly called for the dismissal of theater executives and spoken to the media about his dislike of Anatoly Iksanov, the theater's general director.

MOSCOW -- Three suspects detained in connection with the acid attack on Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin have confessed and face up to 12 years in prison, Moscow police said Wednesday. Bolshoi principal dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko confessed Wednesday to organizing the attack, and the other men, Yuri Zarutski and Andrei Lipatov confessed to carrying it out, a statement on the Interior Ministry's website said. "I organized the attack, but not to the extent of the damage that happened," Dmitrichenko said, stone-faced, to Russian news Channel One. The dancer, who has performed such roles as the Evil Genius in Swan Lake and Russia's brutal ruler Ivan Grozny in a ballet of the same name, planned the assault for "personal resentment related to his work," police said, according to Russian media reports.  Zarutski threw the acid at Filin, 42, on the night of Jan. 17, searing his face, neck and eyes with third-degree burns, while Lipatov drove Zarutski to Filin's apartment building, then drove him away when he fled the crime scene, police said.

Nigel Lythgoe, the über reality-TV producer, is a one-man brand for bringing the world of dance to the masses, mainly through the Fox series "So You Think You Can Dance. " Later this month, he will host a special cinematic event that is intended to give classical ballet a leg up in terms of public exposure. "Ballet's Greatest Hits" is a filmed version of a January gala that took place at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Fla. The gala performance featured excerpts from famous ballets -- including "Swan Lake," "Giselle" and "The Nutcracker" -- performed by dancers from top companies around the world.

MOSCOW -- Burning the Bolshoi Ballet artistic director's face with acid was not part of the plan, the top dancer arrested for allegedly masterminding the attack told a Russian court Thursday. Pavel Dmitrichenko, 29, admitted to organizing the attack but said that Yuri Zarutski, the man he allegedly paid about $1,600 to attack Sergei Filin was only supposed to hit him. Dousing Filin's face in sulfuric acid, which caused severe burns and left him partially blind, was Zarutski's idea, Dmitrichenko told the court.

Details about the vicious acid attack on Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin continue to unfurl after principal dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko's confession Wednesday. Now Dmitrichenko, 29, has admitted to masterminding the plot against Filin, but he said that he paid Yuri Zarutski about $1,600 to scare and hit Filin, not douse Filin in sulfuric acid. The drama and intrigue of these events -- as they continue to develop -- have not only shed a spotlight on bitter infighting within the Bolshoi, but have also sent the international dance world spinning with speculation.

MOSCOW - The acid attack on Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin was shocking when it happened and turned even more bizarre when police said it elicited a confession from a Bolshoi dancer known for playing the Evil Genius in one of the most beloved ballets of all, "Swan Lake. " Details came to light early Wednesday when Bolshoi soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko confessed to organizing the January attack, and police announced two other men confessed to carrying it out. "I organized the attack, but not to the extent of the damage that happened," Dmitrichenko said to Russia's Channel One. The dancer planned the assault for "personal resentment related to his work," the police said, according to reports in the Russian media.

The acid attack on Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin was shocking when it happened and turned even more bizarre when it elicited a confession from a Bolshoi dancer known for playing the Evil Genius in one of the most beloved ballets of all, "Swan Lake. " Details came to light early Wednesday when Bolshoi principal dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko confessed to organizing the January attack, while two other men confessed to carrying it out, according to a report by Khristina Narizhnaya of The Times' Moscow bureau.

MOSCOW -- Three suspects detained in connection with the acid attack on Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin have confessed and face up to 12 years in prison, Moscow police said Wednesday. Bolshoi principal dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko confessed Wednesday to organizing the attack, and the other men, Yuri Zarutski and Andrei Lipatov confessed to carrying it out, a statement on the Interior Ministry's website said. "I organized the attack, but not to the extent of the damage that happened," Dmitrichenko said, stone-faced, to Russian news Channel One. The dancer, who has performed such roles as the Evil Genius in Swan Lake and Russia's brutal ruler Ivan Grozny in a ballet of the same name, planned the assault for "personal resentment related to his work," police said, according to Russian media reports.  Zarutski threw the acid at Filin, 42, on the night of Jan. 17, searing his face, neck and eyes with third-degree burns, while Lipatov drove Zarutski to Filin's apartment building, then drove him away when he fled the crime scene, police said.

MOSCOW - Police detained and questioned three people, including a principal Bolshoi Ballet dancer, as suspects in the acid attack that almost blinded Sergei Filin, the Bolshoi's artistic director, a crime that cast a shadow on Moscow's iconic company and exposed bitter infighting among its dancers. Principal dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko, detained Tuesday, was reportedly suspected of masterminding the attack. Police also brought in Yuri Zarutski, 35, believed to be Filin's assailant, as well as Andrei Lipatov, a man suspected of driving Zarutski to and from the attack, according to a statement on the Interior Ministry website.

For years local ballet audiences have seen Dwight Grell tossing homemade carnation bouquets on stage at curtain calls. What is not widely known, however, is that Grell, a former button factory employee of modest means, has single-handedly amassed one of the Western world's largest private collections of Bolshoi memorabilia. A portion of his holdings is on display in the Grand Hall of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion during the current Bolshoi engagement.

MOSCOW -- Police detained and questioned a suspect Tuesday in the acid attack that almost blinded Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, casting a shadow on Moscow's recently renovated iconic theater and exposing longtime bitter infighting among its dancers. The suspect, whose house was searched, is believed to be one of two or more people who carried out the attack, police said. The unidentified man had no direct connection to the Bolshoi but was involved in the attack on Filin, said Russian tabloid news site Life News, citing an unnamed police source.

Moscow police have isolated three suspects in the bizarre case of an acid attack on Bolshoi Ballet artistic director Sergei Filin. The suspects, one of whom is Bolshoi Ballet principal dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko, were detained and questioned on Tuesday. Police suspect Dmitrichenko may have masterminded the attack, in which sulfuric acid was hurled into Filin's face outside of his home, authorities said. The incident left Filin with third-degree burns and almost blinded him. Yuri Zarutski, 35, is believed to be Filin's assailant.