Nikolai Tsiskaridze, who was originally fired from the Bolshoi, has now returned to the ballet as the acting director of the St. Petersburg Vaganova Ballet Academy.
The dancer was fired in June after criticizing managers of the Bolshoi over the Sergei Filin acid attack, BBC News reports. Tsiskaridze, at the time, claimed they used the acid attack to "conduct a witch hunt" and fire him.
Tsiskaridize was fired after several reprimands stemming from the his comments.
Former Bolshoi director Anatoly Iksanov fired back, saying that Tsiskaridze's "mudslinging" and "constant intrigue" was the reason for the attack in the first place. Iksanov has since been fired after being accused of mishandling the Bolshoi renovation. The renovation took years longer than it should and cost $1 billion.
Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky announced the news on Monday. "Tsiskaridze is preparing thoroughly to take up this post, bringing with him a wealth of teaching experience, and his training in the legal profession."
The news came as a surprise to the Ballet Academy, which wasn't informed ahead of the announcement.
On Tuesday, Pavel Dmitrichenko, who is on trial with two others for the acid attack on Filin, testified in court, The Associated Press reports.
Dmitrichenko reiterated that he was not guilty and didn't collude with Yuri Zarutsky - the man who threw the acid. "I had no animosity toward Filin," the dancer said. "Zarutsky committed the crime on his own."
image: Wikimedia Commons
