Bolshoi Theatre Bans LGBT Ballet ‘Nureyev’

By Francisco Salazar

The Bolshoi Theatre has banned the work “Nureyev,” complying with Putin’s expanded anti-LGBT law.

In a statement during a Press Conference, Vladimir Urpin said, “Nureyev was removed from the repertoire in connection with the law … where issues related to the promotion of ‘non-traditional values’ are stipulated absolutely unequivocally.”

The law Urpin refers to is one that was passed in November that widened an existing prohibition on material considered to promote an LGBTQ+ lifestyle but also restricts the “demonstration” of LGBTQ+ behavior. It is the latest anti-LGBT law passed by Russia’s dictator Putin, who first passed a law in 2013.

This is the latest controversial move from the Bolshoi Theatre, which has fired numerous artists from its house this past year for speaking out against the war in Ukraine. Putin also proposed that the Bolshoi be merged with the Mariinsky in order to become one entity.

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