Sergei Filin, the artistic ballet director at Moscow's prestigious Bolshoi Theater who hit the headlines two years ago when an assailant threw acid in his face, will not be continuing in his post when his contract expires next year, the theater's director said Thursday.
“I have made the decision not to extend Filin's contact, which runs out on March 17 next year,” Bolshoi director Vladimir Urin was cited as saying by the TASS news agency in an interview.
He praised Filin's achievements and said the decision not to renew his contract was connected “to internal issues at the theater.”
Urin declined to say who would succeed Filin, TASS reported.
Filin was attacked outside his home in January 2013 by a man who threw acid in his face, and is still undergoing a series of operations on his eyes as a result of the damage inflicted.
A principle dancer at the Bolshoi, Pavel Dmitrichenko, was found guilty of masterminding the attack and sentenced to six years in prison. The assault was reportedly prompted by a personal conflict that had arisen between the two men at work.
Filin has been the artistic director of the Bolshoi's ballet troupe since 2011.
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