British Bolshoi ballet star held for possession of cocaine in Russia
OSCAR FRAME, the British dancer and one of the few foreigners ever to join the Bolshoi ballet, has been released on bail after he was reportedly detained in Moscow with cocaine.
A spokesperson for the Bolshoi confirmed that Mr Frame, 21, had been detained but said she was under orders not to comment.
However, a source with ties to law enforcement, told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Frame was found with 0.91 grams of cocaine and released on bail on the condition he remain in Moscow.
A case against the rising star could be a blow to the image of the world-renowned Bolshoi Theatre, an important symbol of Russian national pride.
Police did not respond to requests for comment, and it was not clear if charges have been brought but possession of more than half a gram of a narcotic substance can be punishable by up to three years in prison.
The REN television channel reported that Mr Frame came under scrutiny on Monday when he suddenly changed direction at the sight of police on the street. Officers stopped him and asked if he had drugs, whereupon he allegedly admitted he was carrying cocaine, the channel said.
Police reportedly found a wrapper containing powder that was sent for analysis. It has not been possible to establish yet if this account is correct or whether Mr Frame disputes the allegations.
The city court said yesterday evening that it had no information about any hearings in Moscow involving Mr Frame. Withe the exception of terrorism cases investigators must, by law, request a court hearing within 48 hours of a person being detained, otherwise the suspect must be released.
The British Embassy in Moscow said it had offered consular support to a UK subject this week, but could not confirm their identity.
News of Mr Frame’s alleged detention rocked Moscow’s ballet community. “It’s shocking… I didn’t expect that this could happen, not with any (Bolshoi) dancer,” Denis Rodkin, a principal dancer at the ballet, told The Telegraph.
“An artist should be the [theatre’s] face,” he said. “We are public people to a degree and we should… meet the standards of the institution where we work.”
Mr Rodkin said Mr Frame is a hardworking performer who loves ballet.
Born in London, Mr Frame started dancing at age 11 and studied at Hampton Ballet Academy and the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington.
Although he twice failed to make the Royal Ballet Junior Associates he later completed his training at the vaunted Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg.
Russia’s two top troupes – the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg – invited Mr Frame to dance with them after his graduation in 2017.
Nikolay Tsiskaridze, the legendary dancer and head of Vaganova, told the Moskva 24 TV channel that he couldn’t believe Mr Frame, one of his best pupils, had been arrested with cocaine.