MOSCOW, April 23 (RAPSI) - Bolshoi Theater principal ballet dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze has told RIA Novosti that he will no longer speak with journalists without the permission of Bolshoi Press Secretary Katerina Novikova because he fears that he will be fired.

When asked if the self-imposed ban only concerned the situation at the theater, the dancer said he would not comment on anything to anyone. When asked why, he said he does not want to lose his job.

In late March, Tsiskaridze filed a lawsuit against the Bolshoi Theater, asking a Moscow court to annul two official reprimands issued against him by the theater management in February for giving interviews to the press.

When the parties failed to settle the dispute peacefully, the court annulled one of the reprimands on April 12. Tsiskaridze said it was unfair that the court did not annul the second reprimand, and added that he would appeal the ruling.

On April 16, he was reprimanded once again for speaking with journalists. Multiple reprimands can be grounds for dismissal under Russian labor law.

The confrontation between the theater management and the dancer intensified after an acid attack against Bolshoi Theater Artistic Director Sergei Filin in January. Filin suffered third degree burns to his face and eyes. Media reported that Tsiskaridze may have been involved in the attack.

Some media outlets reported that, according to the dancer, the theater's press office and Director Anatoly Iksanov were using the situation for personal gain, seeking to place the blame for the tragedy on the theater staff. The Bolshoi Theater administration claimed that this is not a crusade against Tsiskaridze. However, Iksanov said in February that the acid attack was the "natural result of the mayhem that had been whipped up ... by Nikolai Tsiskaridze." Tsiskaridze then hit back, accusing Iksanov of trying to damage his reputation and to settle scores.

Tsiskaridze has been at the Bolshoi Theater since 1992.