A Russian ballerina named Svetlana Lunkina has relocated to Canada after receiving threats in her native country stemming from a fight between a former business partner and her husband.
The Bolshoi Ballet is a world-famous and internationally renowned ballet company founded in Moscow in 1776, and is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world. Lately it has had its share of controversy as the artistic director was recently attacked with acid and the company has changed leadership many times in recent years.
According to Yahoo News Canada, Svetlana felt that her life was in danger living in Russia, so she returned home as a permanent resident of Canada, where her husband has dual Canadian and Russian citizenship.
Svetlana says she has been quietly living in Canada for the last six months after fleeing, because she was being blackmailed and threats were made against herself and her family.
The move made the news because she was about to take a huge role with Bolshoi, which would be a dream job for many Russian ballerinas. Instead, she left and moved to Canada where she has a number of opportunities, from Canada’s National Ballet to teaching ballet students at her disposal.