Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow has canceled its planned ballet based on the life of gay, Soviet-era dancer Rudolf Nureyev three days before opening night.
Bolshoi director Vladimir Urin announced that the ballet would not open on its scheduled Tuesday night and would be postponed until next year.
The Nureyev ballet had plenty of gay content including Nureyev’s gay relationships and his death from an AIDS-related illness in 1993. Rehearsal footage also showed male dancers performing in high heels. The show’s gay themes led to speculation it was canceled as a result of Russia’s “gay propaganda” law.
Urin has denied that the ballet’s gay content was the reason for the postponement. Instead, he says that after viewing the final dress rehearsal, the dancers’ choreography was not ready to launch the show.
Kirill Serebrennikov, who is an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and Russia’s censorship of the arts, was the production’s director.
All scheduled performances will be replaced with “Don Quixote.”
