Gennadiy Yanin Former manager of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe Gennady Yanin Country: Russia

Biography of Gennady Yanin

Former Managing Director of the Ballet Troupe at the Bolshoi Theatre, Gennady Yanin became embroiled in a scandal when pornographic photos of him were leaked online. Shortly after, Yanin resigned from his position, leaving the question of appointing a new artistic director for the Bolshoi ballet with added controversy.

Yanin had been working at the theater since 1995 and was with the ballet troupe since 2003. Although he was never considered a top contender for the position, his removal through such a harsh method, similar to those used against former Prosecutor General Yuri Skuratov and former Minister of Justice Valentina Kovalyova, raised questions.

There was speculation that Yanin could have been a suitable candidate for the position of General Director of the Bolshoi, which Anatoly Iksanov had already decided on. Iksanov had been in negotiations with former head of the Mariinsky Theatre ballet, Mahabek Vaziev, who is currently leading the ballet at La Scala in Italy. However, with the scandal surrounding Yanin, this option was no longer feasible.

Prior to his contract expiring, pornographic photos featuring Yanin were posted on a specially created website, which has since become unavailable. The website was designed with the colors and logo of the Bolshoi Theatre, and Yanin's biography was also included. The deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation was evident from the fact that the link to these materials was distributed to thousands of ballet professionals in Russia and abroad.

Following this blow, Yanin went on sick leave and submitted his resignation on March 14th. He has been replaced by Yan Godovsky, who has been dancing at the Bolshoi since 1993. It is unclear whether Godovsky will be able to handle his new role, as there are still many unknowns in the leadership reshuffling at the Bolshoi.

Yanin played a crucial role in managing the dancers at the theater, perhaps even more important than the artistic director himself. Under Yuri Burlaka's term, the repertoire policy of the Bolshoi ballet lacked unity. Sergei Vikharev, who was invited from St. Petersburg, staged "Coppelia" and Mikhail Fokine's "Petrushka," while Pavel Gershenzon brought in contemporary works like Balanchine's "Rubies." The 84-year-old ballet master, Yuri Grigorovich, focused on staging classic ballets like "Romeo and Juliet" and "The Nutcracker."

This lack of cohesion did not benefit the Bolshoi ballet, and Yanin, despite being the deputy director, played a significant role in managing the troupe. By inviting Vaziev, Iksanov hopes to change the situation with his authority, professionalism, and strict discipline, which the Bolshoi ballet seems to lack. The position of ballet director at the country's premier theater was already assigned to Vaziev in 2008 when Ratmansky left. However, Vaziev is not the only candidate, and other contenders include Yuri Grigorovich and Nikolay Tsiskaridze. Neither of them completely satisfies the theater's management. Although Grigorovich had an illustrious tenure from 1964 to 1995 as the head of the Bolshoi ballet, he is now of advanced age and reportedly has no desire to return to the position, preferring to remain a regular ballet master. As for Tsiskaridze, he has long expressed his willingness to lead the Bolshoi ballet, criticizing the current state of affairs at the theater.

It is possible that after Burlaka's departure, the position of ballet director may remain vacant, as is the case at the Mariinsky Theatre since 1995. This version gains support from the fact that Iksanov did not name a replacement for Burlaka on March 15th as planned. "This issue is not resolved, and the position remains vacant," he briefly stated, canceling the scheduled briefing. It is quite possible that the change in the ballet director's position is just the first stage of reshuffling at the Bolshoi Theatre. Some believe that the incident involving Yanin signals a desire to discredit the entire management of the Bolshoi. If this is true, then the use of such political methods to remove Yanin does not seem so surprising.

In the midst of all these endless porn scandals, political pressure demonstrations, and the unseen presence of mysterious forces manipulating the cultural establishment, it is human nature to want the Bolshoi Theatre to once again become a source of pride for Russia. Instead of making headlines due to scandalous dismissals of dancers whose personal lives are suddenly exposed to public scrutiny or the multimillion-dollar scandals associated with its reconstruction, it would be better if the Bolshoi were known as the best in the world. If politics is not involved and the current leadership at the Bolshoi is simply performing poorly, perhaps it is still possible to resolve this situation without resorting to pornography. Or is it too late?