Paris Opera Ballet drops star dancer Sergei Polunin after anti-gay rant
Sergei Polunin has lost his position in Swan Lake after a tirade on Instagram (Jeff Spicer/Getty and twitter)
The prestigious Paris Opera Ballet has dropped star dancer Sergei Polunin after an anti-gay and sexist tirade.
His invitation to dance as the lead character—a repressed gay man—in the Paris Opera Ballet’s version Swan Lake next month was rescinded following a rant in which he told gay men “you are an embarrassment,” AFP has reported.
“Man what’s wrong with you? Females [are] now trying [to] take on the man role because you don’t f**k them and because you are an embarrassment.”
— Sergei Polunin
Writing on Instagram in December, the 29-year-old ballerina said: “Man up to all men… Man should be a man and woman should be a woman. Masculine and Feminine energies creates balance.
“That’s a reason you got balls,” he continued. “Man what’s wrong with you? Females [are] now trying [to] take on the man role because you don’t f**k them and because you are an embarrassment.”
Polunin, who became the youngest ever principal dancer when he performed in London’s Royal Ballet aged 19, added that men were “wolves” and “lions.”
He said men should “stop being weak. Be a man be a warrior what’s wrong with you?”
Sergei Polunin wrote on Instagram that men should “stop being weak. Be a man be a warrior what’s wrong with you?” (sergeipolunin/instagram)
“No respect for you, life will beat you down put you on your knees and wash you out. need a good slap to wake you up. Unbelievable!!!” he said.
Aurelie Dupont, Paris Opera Ballet’s artistic director, told her dancers that Polunin was being dropped this weekend.
She said that the star was a “talented artist” but had strayed from the company’s values with his social media posts.
Sergei Polunin has sparked anger with support of anti-gay President Vladimir Putin
Polunin, who was born near Crimea in Ukraine, prompted outrage last year by becoming a Russian citizen and posting his support for anti-gay Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The dancer got a tattoo of Putin on his chest and wrote on Instagram: “What if Vladimir Putin would become leader of the world.
“I will pray for that because it would be ultimate win over evil. I believe this will be the future and my energy will help him do that.”
Hate crimes against LGBT+ people in Russia have doubled since Putin’s government passed a law in 2013 banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships” towards minors.
Polunin, who has appeared in hit films like Murder on the Orient Express and Red Sparrow, also voiced his support for anti-LGBT President Donald Trump.
He told his followers: “you don’t like Donald Trump because he speaks the truth and speaks his mind!!!”
