It ain't over until the fat lady - dances?


MOSCOW (Reuters) - A top Russian ballerina, sacked for being too heavy, lost a damages claim for $1 million against the chief of Moscow's Bolshoi Theater on Thursday, local media reported. Prima ballerina Anastasia Volochkova, fired by the theater in September for being too bulky for her partners to lift, sought the damages from the Bolshoi's general director Anatoly Iksanov for harming her personal and professional reputation.

The case at a Moscow court centered on a newspaper interview with Iksanov headlined "No one wants to dance with Volochkova."

"The Basmanny court turned down the ballerina's claim, considering that the published information was not damaging to her honor, professional reputation and dignity," Interfax news agency quoted her lawyer, Lev Zubovsky, as saying.

Volochkova was reinstated at the Bolshoi two months after her dismissal but she took on no leading roles. She then embarked on solo tours and has featured regularly in the Russian media spotlight.

At 168 cm (5 feet 6 inches) and weighing around 50 kg (110 pounds), the blonde ballerina's measurements were considered larger than usual for a dancer. She has dismissed the criticism.