Nureyev ballet falls victim to Russian ‘anti-gay propaganda’ law

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…

Ballet’s portrayal Nureyev’s homosexuality runs afoul of Russia’s ban

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Scene from the production of 'Nureyev' by the Bolshoi Ballet in 2017. (Mikhail Loginov photo courtesy of the Bolshoi Theater via The New York Times.) — Scene from the production of ‘Nureyev’ by the Bolshoi Ballet in 2017. (Mikhail Loginov photo courtesy of the Bolshoi Theater via The New York Times.)

Russia’s Bolshoi Theater has removed a ballet dedicated to dancer Rudolf Nureyev from its repertoire, citing a new Russian law that expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBT rights, its director said [last month]. Bolshoi director Vladimir Urin said the ballet “Nureyev” had been dropped “in connection with the newly signed law, which unambiguously deals with issues related to propaganda of non-traditional values,” the Interfax news agency reported.

The ban on any “demonstration of non-traditional relations” contained in the new law apparently prompted the Bolshoi to pull the ballet because it touches on Nureyev’s homosexuality.

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In 2017, the premiere of the ballet was delayed amid controversy over its content. At the time, The New York Times reported:

Commentators wondered if its explicit portrayal of homosexuality, the inclusion of nudity — in the form of a full-frontal photograph of Nureyev by Richard Avedon used as a backdrop — and the ballet’s depiction of a defector who chose the West over Russia, had been deemed inappropriate by the government, which provides 70 percent of the Bolshoi’s budget.