- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
She won the case! Here is her story:
A ballerina is suing the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre after she was fired amid allegations she was too heavy for male dancers to lift.
Anastasia Volochkova, who is five feet six inches tall and weighs less than eight stone, has filed a lawsuit in a Moscow court seeking lost wages and compensation for moral damage.
The Bolshoi Theatre fired the 27-year-old dancer last month over a contract dispute.
Volochkova's sacking came amid allegations that her weight made it difficult for the Bolshoi to find roles for her. She says talk of her weight has been "humiliating and absurd for Russian ballet."
Russia's Labour Ministry said the dancer's sacking violated Russian labour laws and called on the Bolshoi to reinstate her.
But the ministry acknowledged the final decision rested with the theatre, and the Bolshoi has refused to budge.
"Unfortunately, I have to do it because I am seeking justice and want to assert my rights as well as the rights of other artists," Volochkova said.
"Being on the Bolshoi staff means so much to me, and I believe that my dismissal was illegal."
Volochkova's lawyer Lev Zubovsky, says the ballerina is seeking damages in "merely a symbolic sum." The Bolshoi Theatre has not commented on the case.
© Associated Press
A ballerina is suing the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre after she was fired amid allegations she was too heavy for male dancers to lift.
Anastasia Volochkova, who is five feet six inches tall and weighs less than eight stone, has filed a lawsuit in a Moscow court seeking lost wages and compensation for moral damage.
The Bolshoi Theatre fired the 27-year-old dancer last month over a contract dispute.
Volochkova's sacking came amid allegations that her weight made it difficult for the Bolshoi to find roles for her. She says talk of her weight has been "humiliating and absurd for Russian ballet."
Russia's Labour Ministry said the dancer's sacking violated Russian labour laws and called on the Bolshoi to reinstate her.
But the ministry acknowledged the final decision rested with the theatre, and the Bolshoi has refused to budge.
"Unfortunately, I have to do it because I am seeking justice and want to assert my rights as well as the rights of other artists," Volochkova said.
"Being on the Bolshoi staff means so much to me, and I believe that my dismissal was illegal."
Volochkova's lawyer Lev Zubovsky, says the ballerina is seeking damages in "merely a symbolic sum." The Bolshoi Theatre has not commented on the case.
© Associated Press