MOSCOW, March 17 (UPI) -- Gennady Yanin, the troupe director of Russia's Bolshoi ballet company, has quit after erotic photographs allegedly of him were posted online, officials said.
"The theater's General Director Anatoly Iksanov appointed Yan Godovsky to the position of the ballet troupe director yesterday, after Yanin filed for voluntary leave," the BBC quoted the company as saying in a statement Thursday.
"It is unexpected for me," said Godovsky, who will maintain the position until the end of the 2011 season. "I kept refusing, but they kept asking me to take the position. It's definitely an upgrade for me."
The BBC did not describe exactly what the pictures showed but said a link to the Web site was e-mailed to thousands of addresses. The Web site no longer exists, however.
