. . . the general American public flocked to see the glamorous Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and read eagerly of its endless backstage intrigues. Beyond his purely artistic duties, Massine had to deal with diva distemper on a daily basis. Collier's noted, "He has a weeping ballerina on his hands virtually every hour on the hour, and they weep in all languages and for any number of reasons."
Massine's most sensational personnel problems occurred during the first season at the Metropolitan in October 1938. When the cast list went up, Toumanova was livid to discover that Alicia Markova, not she, was slated to dance Odette on Swan Lake's opening night. By several newspaper accounts, Toumanova's father took revenge by storming backstage on opening night and landing a swarthy Russian fist on Massine's jaw. Massine responded by replacing Toumanova with Nathalie Krassovska as Odette Number Two. Krassovska and Massine rehearsed for two days and nights without sleep because "a sulking ballerina had to be taught a lesson."
Leonide Massine and the 20th Century Ballet by Leslie Norton. 2004. Page 196.
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