In January 2013, the Bolshoi Ballet made headlines, but not for the usual reasons. The story was big and operatic, some would even say tragic, but it existed off the stage, traveling from the realm of fiction into the real world. Sergei Filin, the former Bolshoi ballet director, was arriving at his home in central Moscow on a cold night when a man approached him and called his name. As he was punching in the code to enter his apartment building, Filin turned around and was splashed in the face with sulfuric acid, leaving him with third-degree burns on his face and almost causing him to permanently lose his sight.If the story already seemed ripped from the pages of a lurid crime paperback, what came next was even stranger. It was revealed that the man who splashed acid in Filin’s face was hired by a Bolshoi dancer named Pavel V. Dmitrichenko, who was reportedly angered by what he saw as corruption within the management of the company, especially when it came to his girlfriend, another dancer at the Bolshoi, who he felt deserved roles that were given to other dancers because of personal relationships. In court proceedings in December 2014, Dmitrichenko seemed to imply that Filin deserved his suffering because of favoritism, and 150 members of the company even signed a petition in support of Dmitrichenko that was sent to Vladimir Putin. Dmitrichenko was sentenced to six years in prison.This is where “Bolshoi Babylon,” a new documentary screening at DOC NYC on November 13, picks up the story. The company is in shambles, and understandably so. Only a few months after the acid attack, the Ministry of Culture removed the Bolshoi’s general director, Anatoly Iksanov, who had led the company for 13 years, and replaced him with Vladimir Urin, who arrived from the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theater. What at first looks like a hasty attempt at rebuilding starts to take on more sinister tones when it’s revealed that Filin, who was set to return to the company after being cleared by his doctors, had previously worked with Urin and had abruptly departed to join the Bolshoi, leaving bad blood between the two. Now they are forced to work together again, and during the most stressful period of the theater’s existence. Urin doesn’t seem too happy with the arrangement — at one point he describes his relationship with Filin as “business” — and, as portrayed in the film, creates an environment that is so hostile and non-communicative that Filin, it seems, will be forced to leave.“Bolshoi Babylon” is less concerned with the scandal than the aftermath. What happens to a historic company after this kind of damage? Apparently, they move on, but not without problems. Many dancers in the film’s various interviews describe the company as a “sacred place,” but also one that is unforgiving. Beauty standards are cruel, and bitter rivalries start to develop between the old and young. “There’s nobody that can’t be replaced,” principal dancer Maria Alexandrova says, echoing the comments of others. Filin, a former dancer, seems to align with the older members of the company, with whom he remained close. The younger members, many of whom supported Dmitrichenko — the former head of the Trade Union — during his trial, see Filin’s move from dancer to management as an act of betrayal. The divide remains a fracture within the company.But the Bolshoi is more than just an artistic temple. It’s also representative of Russia, and has firm connections to the power elite of the country. There is room in the state budget each year for funding of the Bolshoi, which comes with its own consequences. When the Bolshoi looks bad, so does Russia. Many of the dancers and management at the company who seem overly defensive are not just standing up for their jobs, but for the image of their country. There is a lot of chatter throughout “Bolshoi Babylon” about Filin’s contract not being renewed, and there is the sense that he is not wanted. He is simply there because they can’t legally get rid of him. Not surprisingly, shortly after the film was finished shooting, Filin left the company, and just a few weeks ago they hired a replacement. But things will never be the same. The divide remains. The management, and the people in state power who are pulling the strings, don’t have to be reminded of the destruction they foster. They can simply sit back in their seats and enjoy the show.
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