The Bolshoi Ballet has postponed the late-March premiere of the choreographer Wayne McGregor’s new “Rite of Spring†because of the health of its director, Sergei Filin. Mr. Filin has been in the hospital since Jan. 17 after he was attacked with acid by a masked man. Curiously, it was not the Bolshoi Theater that announced the cancellation, but Emerging Pictures, the United States distributor for the films of the Bolshoi Ballet and Opera, which was scheduled to present a screening of Mr. McGregor’s “Rite†on April 21.
In a news release Barry Rebo, a managing partner at Emerging Pictures, said, “We very much regret this unavoidable cancellation.†But it remains unclear why Mr. Filin’s incapacity makes this particular production impossible. Tthe Bolshoi, which has around 220 dancers and a technical and administraive team of around 3,500, has soldiered on stoically through the crisis, continuing to rehearse and perform as planned. It is unlikely that Mr. Filin would have been directly involved in the creative process of Mr. McGregor’s “Rite,†and the Bolshoi has many ballet masters who assist visiting choreographers in teaching and rehearsing works.
And there are two other productions of “The Rite of Springâ€â€"by Maurice Béjart and Pina Bauschâ€"that are proceeding as planned in March and April, as part of a 100th-anniversary celebration of the ballet’s premiere. Neither Mr. McGregor nor a spokesperson from the theater could be reached for comment.
