Lucia Davidova Part 5 The End

George had a little streak of cruelty, conscious or unconscious. I ascribe it to his being Caucasian. He had men who were useful to him, like Volodine, who was in the Corps de Ballet and shared an apartment with him. He did everything for George in the household, because G didn't want to go shopping and wash his underwear or clean the bathroom. But when G married Zorina, he said to Volodine, " You have to find your own apartment now." Volodine was upset. He was Balanchine's cook and valet and friend, always fetching and carrying things for him. He even went out on the George Washington Bridge and considered throwing himself off it. So after George moved away with Zorina, I gave Volodine a little bedroom on fifth floor and almost saved his life. When the Bolshoi Ballet came here the first time, George gave a small supper for them and invited me.. The then head of their company said to George," Why do you make ballet like baking a pie and cutting it in small pieces? Here you give an evening and it is always subdivided into three or four ballets. One day you will come back and do what we do. Give one big evening." " No, George said. " I think one day you will come and do as i do." And now the Russians give one evening of several ballets. If George were alive I think he would be ambivalent about the Russians doing his things. On the one hand he would have said-publicly--" I don't want them to; they don't dance well enough."On the other, he would tell himself, " But in the end they are doing my things!" The End