How did Mourka became Zorina?

[Farrell Fan]

As recently as Sunday, June 13, Sylviane Gold, previewing "Musagete" in the NY Times, wrote, "In fact, Ms. Whelan is not one of the women; she plays a cat." But after the opening, Dale posted that Robert Johnson's preview piece had mentioned Whelan as Zorina. And this morning's Times makes the transformation from Mourka to mate official in this choice bit of Kisselgoffian prose: "Whether she represents Zorina, Balanchine's second wife and an actress dancer who wrote a remarkably frank memoir, is more than possible."

Huh? Who says so? Eifman? The NYCB press office? What is there about Wendy's performance that suggests Zorina?

[Dale]

Her flapper cap, which in Eifman Land means she's an actress. Therefore, she is Zorina. To me, she looked more like Geva, but maybe Eifman skipped that part of whatever short article he read to gain his knowledge about Balanchine.

This is the part from the Star Ledger:

Rumor mongers have hinted that "Musagète," an ambitious work for nearly 40 dancers, paints a scandalous portrait of Balanchine's life, showing the revered choreographer awash in psychological turmoil. But Eifman denies that his four principals -- Robert Tewsley, Wendy Whelan, Alexandra Ansanelli and Maria Kowroski -- portray real people culled from Balanchine's biography. Eifman says their characters were only loosely suggested by Balanchine and three of his ballerinas: Vera Zorina, Tanaquil Le Clercq and Suzanne Farrell.

[Michael]

Heavy handed as it is, the Apollo analogy implicit in the title, Musagete, shouldn't be lost. Three Ballerinas, Three Pas de Deux, Three Muses -- Wendy must therefore be at least in part a dancer. I seriously doubt that Eifman takes what he himself says very seriously.

[Alexandra]

I seriously doubt that Eifman takes what he himself says very seriously.

You are too kind