Sergei Filin in happier times.<br/> <br />The artistic director of Russia's famed Bolshoi ballet once had the power to make or break careers.<br/> <br />That changed January 17th when a masked assailant called out his name and threw acid in his face nearly blinding him.<br/> <br />After numerous operations he returned to the Bolshoi last month.<br/> <br />On Tuesday it was a very different stage in focus as dancer Pavel Dmitrichnko faces charges of intentionally causing grievous bodily harm.<br/> <br />At a hearing in March, the man known to play villains on stage admitted he had wanted Filin to be roughed up -- but he was shocked to learn that acid was used. He faces up to 12 years in prison.<br/> <br />The scandal over the attack damaged the theater's reputation while exposed bitter rivalries behind the scenes at one of Russia's greatest cultural institutions.
