© AFP
Polunin is regarded as one of the most talented dancers of his generation.
The Paris Opera Ballet has dropped controversial Ukrainian-born dance star Sergei Polunin from a production of "Swan Lake" after he made a homophobic and sexist rant on social media.
The mercurial "bad boy of ballet", who was compared to Rudolf Nureyev earlier in his career, blasted gay dancers in an Instagram post last month in which he urged male ballet dancers to "man up".
"Man (sic) should be a man and woman should be a woman, that's the reason you got balls," wrote the dancer, who took Russian nationality in November and is a
fervent fan of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
"Females now trying to take on the man role because you don't fuck them and because you are an embarrassment," said the 29-year-old, referring to gay dancers.
They "need a good slap", Polunin continued. "Man (sic) are wolves, are lions. Man are the leaders of the family."
Paris Opera confirmed to AFP on Monday that they had withdrawn their invitation to him to dance the lead in "Swan Lake" next month, a production in which the prince is supposed to be played as a repressed homosexual.
Comment: US police should be taking notes from their British counterparts!