The Bolshoi Theater in Moscow has been the center of media attention for several weeks, due to the mysterious attack on the theater’s director, Sergei Filin, in late January. The shocking incident occurred theatrically — Filin walks back to his car after a theater performance late at night as a masked figure approaches carrying a can full of acid. Filin is now suffering from severe burns on his face and neck, possible vision loss as well as the prospect of never again being able to direct a production at any theater. The Bolshoi’s press secretary admitted to a suspicion that the attacker is a former or even current employee of the theater.

The recent development in the ongoing scandals of the Bolshoi Theater seems to come straight out of an old school thriller; sex, money, lies — it’s practically a script that is writing itself. The drama of ballet has been admired and admonished for quite some time in both film and television, and is often depicted as cutthroat, unforgiving and psychologically damaging for anyone involved.

Never mind Natalie Portman’s tragic downfall in Black Swan; her problems cannot measure up to the outrages of modern ballet. With all of this scandal and corruption, violence and jealousy, the question must be raised: why are we all okay with it? Of course, the attack was horrifying and any related violence is a regrettable result of a dance company’s downward spiral into corruption, but the media coverage of the attack has been increasingly lenient in actually condemning the attacker, and the theater itself is partially culpable for allowing such depravity to run rampant within its walls.

It is indeed a dramatic situation, but within the world of performance art, there is a sense of light-heartedness and spectacle that even the darkest of events cannot quite stifle. If a Wall Street executive had been involved in the sort of physical violence that was inflicted upon Sergei Filin, a more serious tone would likely have been taken in any report of the incident.

This is particularly evident in a CNN report in which a Bolshoi spokeswoman said to a Russian news program, “We don’t know who would benefit from this…the police should investigate.” So, then, does that mean that the police weren’t already investigating? In what world would an acid attack not have already warranted a police investigation? Surely, the Russian authorities have launched an investigation, but it’s an oddly obvious statement to make. It also remains unknown why the Bolshoi is not participating with the police or urgently looking for the culprit(s).

The dramatic turn of events in the Bolshoi Theater should be treated with the same urgency as any other attack. However, the employees of theaters worldwide should understand that corrupt dealings provoke these types of attacks. Any business that deals dishonestly should, in some sense, expect an angry reaction to come their way.

The media and particularly the police forces should recognize the seriousness of the corruption and try to stop it before it reaches the point of violence — again.

This article appeared in the Monday, Feb. 11 print edition. Nina Golshan is a staff columnist. Email her at [email protected].