The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow has dropped a contemporary ballet about Rudolf Nureyev, the legendary Russian dancer, due to Russia’s ban on LGBT propaganda. The law passed in November not only widened an existing prohibition on material considered to promote an LGBT lifestyle but also restricts the “demonstration” of LGBT behavior. This makes any portrayal of homosexuality almost impossible, such as Nureyev’s relationships with men after his defection from the Soviet Union in 1961, which the ballet touches on.
The ballet, choreographed by Kirill Serebrennikov, has had a troubled history in Russia. It premiered in December 2017, several months late, after the then-culture minister reportedly called it gay propaganda, and has not been performed since 2018. Performances scheduled for 2022 were abruptly canceled after Serebrennikov publicly blamed Russia for the conflict in Ukraine.
Serebrennikov, one of Russia’s leading film, theatre, and television directors and stage designers, made his frustration clear. “This criminal ‘law’ was passed specifically against this show and against several books… Well, OK…” he wrote on his Telegram channel, adding three rainbows – an LGBT symbol. Serebrennikov has himself fallen foul of Russian authorities. He was detained in 2017 and held in house arrest for almost two years, to the outrage of Russia’s liberal cultural establishment, before being given a suspended sentence in 2020 on charges of embezzling a state subsidy. After he repaid the sum, the sentence was canceled last year.
Vladimir Urin, general director of the Bolshoi, said, “‘Nureyev’ was removed from the repertoire in connection with the law … where issues related to the promotion of ‘non-traditional values’ are stipulated absolutely unequivocally.” The ban is part of President Vladimir Putin’s long-standing promotion of conservative values as part of a nationalist agenda backed by the Russian Orthodox Church.
The cancellation of the ballet has sparked outrage among the international artistic community and human rights activists, who have criticized the Russian government’s suppression of artistic expression and human rights. The decision also casts a shadow on the Bolshoi Theatre’s reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious ballet companies.
In recent years, there has been growing concern about human rights abuses in Russia, including discrimination against the LGBT community. As the country prepares to host the World Cup in 2026, activists are calling on FIFA to take a stand against discrimination and to use its platform to promote equality and diversity.