Bolshoi Ballerina Svetlana Lunkina Fears For Her Life

Famed Bolshoi ballerina Svetlana Lunkina has decided to stay in Canada after receiving multiple threats on her life, which comes after the Bolshoi’s artistic director had acid thrown in his face while walking out of his apartment complex.

Lunkina tells the Russian daily news paper that she asked the Bolshoi theater to allow her to stay in Canada a little longer because she’s scared to come back to Russia. Katerina Novikova, spokeswoman for the Bolshoi ballet, admitted to the Associated Press that they agreed to extend her vacation, but did not say much else after that.

According to Lunkina, the threats were levied towards her because of a conflict between her husband and one of his business partners concerning a movie about Mathilde Kschessinskaya, a ballerina famous for her talent on the stage and her trysts with Russia’s last czar, Nicholas II.

“I think we must seriously respond to the threats,” Lunkina said. “These people have no right to meddle in our private life or my professional activities.”

I.M.