Ballerina Anastasia Volochkova knows how to sell herself, and not everyone likes that. Some say she owes her success entirely to clever commercial strategy and carefully calculated PR. But such accusations dissolve the moment the 27-year-old dancer appears on the stage.

Volochkova’s career would be the envy of many a famous prima. She has danced the leading roles in "Swan Lake," "Sleeping Beauty," "Giselle," "The Firebird" and more. She won the Golden Lion prize for best dancer in Europe in 2000, and last year was awarded the title of merited artist of Russia.

Her appearance in "Swan Lake" at the Mariinsky Theater when she was 17 was followed by a hail of envy, rumors and intrigues. Some people stage ballets just to have her dance in them, while others force her out of their theaters. We had this picture of a sort of bitchy beauty, but the woman who arrived for the interview we arranged at cafe Maner turned out to be confident and tastefully dressed, tan and filled with a healthy glow.

LifeStyle: This cafe is one of those central, crowded places. What kind of place do you prefer, quiet or crowded?

Volochkova: I like places that are quiet, cozy and calm. But I love music and can’t sit in silence. I like ethnic music, things like Buddha Bar and Costes, and this means I like Eastern-themed restaurants like Shu Lounge, Momo and Goa.

Have you been reinstated at the Bolshoi Theater?

No. The most surprising thing is that the Labor Ministry reinstated me on the grounds that the director’s decision was against the law. But the theater ignored the ministry’s decision. They think there’s no place for me at the Bolshoi. I think the only way to get some kind of justice in this situation is through the courts.

Did you really appeal to the Labor Ministry and to Labor Minister Alexander Pochinok personally?

No, I didn’t. The Labor Ministry took notice of the situation itself. People knew that I had been fired in America, in Africa, in Japan. Of course, the Labor Ministry also knew what had happened. What happened was just absurd. There is no law here that lets you fire a person on Sept. 16 and, then, have it turn out that they were no longer employed by the theater since June 30. And I was told about my dismissal not two weeks before, but only two days before it happened. If I was fired on June 30, then why were tickets sold for my performances? And then they go and kick up such a fuss at the Bolshoi. It’s all incomprehensible. But I do believe that I will regain my rights. This theater means a lot to me.

There are rumors that this whole affair is just a PR tactic to promote your name and draw attention to you.

That’s ridiculous. The whole world is discussing my height and weight. If that’s PR, it’s certainly not in my interest. I don’t know how to defend myself in this situation. It’s a battle between uneven forces, because I’ve got the whole machine of the Bolshoi Theater against me, backed by the money of people who are organizing the publication of articles designed to tarnish my name.

Does all this ever make you want to leave ballet?

I try to turn these kinds of situations in life into creative inspiration, even now when I’m forced to look for a new technical base to be able to continue dancing. I can even say more and tell you that, during the three days that were the toughest to get through, we created a ballet act called "The Cage." You can’t touch ballet – it’s an art that you can only feel.

Everyone is recalling your socially elite and wealthy fans and opponents now, but no one has recalled that you received a blessing from Maya Plisetskaya herself and that it was she who handed you the "Carmen Suite." Doesn’t that seem strange to you?

It doesn’t surprise me. This whole affair has been arranged, but I’ve realized now that there’s no point in trying to prove anything. This is all happening to try and knock me off balance and upset me, but I’m not giving in. Even the image of me as a cold Ice Princess is something fabricated by the media. But I’m not going to fight it, because fighting it would mean taking the same tactics or trying to reply to these fabricated articles, and I have too much respect for myself to do that. I have chosen a more dignified method: I will prove my worth to myself and my audience on the stage.

Do you have more enemies among men or women?

Women can get envious, but it’s usually men who try to put obstacles in my way. They have power and money in their hands. My strength lies elsewhere, in the magic of dance.

Beautiful and famous women always attract men’s interest. Don’t you ever find it insulting to feel like a kind of toy for them?

I try not to meet those kinds of people.

A ballerina’s career does not last long. What will you do once you leave ballet?

Leaving the ballet is always a painful process. I hope to leave the stage while people still remember me as young and beautiful. I’m sure of one thing – I will always try to create beauty. I would be interested in trying my hand in the cinema. I’ve received all sorts of different proposals. The only thing I have chosen so far is Anatoly Ivanov’s film about Pushkin, "The Black Prince," in which I play Natalia Goncharova. I would love to open a ballet school. I have no interest at all in working in the modeling business. I’ve already worked with Chopard and Rado.

Your program "Stairway to the Skies" will have its premiere at the Kremlin on Nov. 13 and 16. Could you say a few words about it?

It’s a program that I thought of with Russian choreographer Edwald Smirnov. My new act, "The Cage," will be a part of it. It will almost be like [David] Copperfield, because the cage will break apart. It will be an interesting performance for the audience to watch. "Stairway to the Skies" is a non-commercial project. It contains many short pieces that have a philosophical sense that would be enough for a whole ballet. But it is not my autobiography. It is dedicated to all creative people striving for their dreams. Reaching for the skies means climbing the stairs up and up. Stairs make for a steeper path than a direct road. The skies represent my road, which reaches upward rather than going horizontally.