Fired ballerina set for encore
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The Russian press has denigrated Volochkova with headlines such as "Not even bears could hold her".
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MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- An ice-cream-loving ballerina fired by Moscow's famed Bolshoi Theater for being too heavy and too tall may soon be back dancing to an encore.
Russia's Labor Ministry on Tuesday ordered the theater to reinstate Anastasia Volochkova who was sacked two weeks ago amid claims from other dancers she was too big to lift.
A spokesman for Labor Minister Alexander Pochinok said the ministry ruled Volochkova's dismissal violated labor law and that she must be rehired by October 6 and paid back wages.
The stylish blonde dancer, replete with movie-star glamour was fired September 16 after she refused to sign a six-month contract that would have expired at the end of this year instead of a one-year contract.
At the time, he said the abbreviated contract length was linked to the 27-year-old dancer's "unacceptable physical condition" -- her 50-kilogram (109-pound) weight.
Volochkova -- who has been drawing large crowds during performances outside the Bolshoi, has rejected accusations and media criticism that she was too big, adding that her dancing partners never complained about her size.
The dancer, who is 1.7 meters (5 feet 7 inches) tall, told Russia's First Channel television: "I think that now when people try to add 10 or 20 cm (4-8 inches) to my height, and talk about my measurements and dimensions, they should remember that height is not what makes a ballerina great."
Unlike most ballerinas, who are notorious for watching their weight, Volochkova has said she could not imagine life without ice cream.
The Bolshoi has maintained that the issue went further than her size.
The theater is yet to respond to Tuesday's ruling by the Labor Ministry.
