Bolshoi Theater: dancer dies in an accident during the performance

Moscow
After a fatal accident in the Bolshoi Theater: performance canceled

An actor was killed in a performance in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater on Saturday.

© Sven Simon / Picture Alliance

During a performance in the famous Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, a man is killed by part of the stage. The weekend performances are canceled. It’s not the first fatal accident in the theater.

On the stage of the world-famous Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, a 37-year-old artist got under a stage set during the performance and died under the pressure. The young man, who played an extra role in the Russian folk opera “Sadko” on Saturday evening, probably did not hear the warnings from colleagues when the set changed. He had an accident when changing the decoration, said Bolshoi spokeswoman Katerina Nowikowa of the German press agency.

A new performance of the stage-rich costume spectacle by the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov planned for Sunday evening was canceled due to mourning.

The stage weighs around two tons

Viewers who filmed in the hall on Saturday published recordings in the social networks of the moment when a stage wall was lowered almost at the beginning. A little later the leading actor called out: “Stop! Stop! Call an ambulance! There is blood here.” On the Internet channel Telegram eyewitnesses spoke of a “tragedy”. Some viewers said they initially thought the accident was part of the staging.

From the ranks of the audience – Russia’s largest theater has around 2500 seats – the accident could hardly be seen because of the many actors. The wall that crushed the young man is said to have weighed around two tons. A little later the curtain was drawn.

Theater announcer Novikowa spoke of a “tragic event”, the circumstances of which had to be clarified. The performance was initially interrupted on Saturday evening and the audience was asked to leave the hall. Then the performance came to an end.

The man dies before the ambulance arrives

A little later the police drove up to the world-famous house. Investigators were in the theater to investigate the exact course of the accident, said Julia Ivanova from the competent authority in the Russian capital. After the investigation, it will be decided whether there will be criminal proceedings. The artist died before the emergency doctor arrived, she said. According to the investigators, it is also being examined whether occupational health and safety and general safety regulations have been complied with. The prosecution also published photos of the scene of the accident in the backdrops.

It was suspected that the actor had moved in the wrong direction and got under the decoration. The video recordings show that the stage wall has not fallen, but is steadily moving towards the ground.

The Bolshoi is Russia’s largest state theater and world famous for its ballet and opera performances and international guest performances. It is home to the largest ballet company in the world. Many international stars work at the theater, which also has a new stage and a chamber theater. A visit to the historical temple of the Muses with the magnificent hall shining with lots of gold is popular with tourists from all over the world. The Bolshoi is one of Moscow’s main attractions.

It is not the first time that the Bolshoi Theater, which has been extensively renovated in this century, has been visited by the police. In 2013 the house caused an international stir when ballet director Sergej Filin was the victim of an acid attack. A solo dancer had his face burned by other perpetrators because he did not agree to the distribution of the ballet roles in the country’s most important theater. Doctors in Russia and Germany were able to partially save Filin’s eyesight, he remains visually impaired. In the same year a violinist fell into the opera pit and succumbed to his injuries.

be / ulf Mauder
dpa

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