Yekatarinburg, Russia
Orthodox priests in Yekatarinburg last week protested a ballet production that depicted Russia’s last czar, Nicholas II, dancing in tights. The czar and his family, who were executed in Yekatarinburg during the Russian Revolution of 1918, are considered Orthodox saints. Many believers find the ballet, Rasputin, named for the czar’s mysterious advisor, to be blasphemous. “Orthodox Christians are offended by the fact that Nicholas II is shown dancing,” said Father Maksim Menyailo, the head of the Church of Spilled Blood, which was built on the execution site. “In czarist Russia, it was not permitted even to show the images of saints on the stage.”
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