Stage Name |
Birth Name | | Vera
Zorina |
Eva
Brigitta Hartwig |
Zorina's parents were both professional singers, Zorina stated
she was of Norwegian heritage even though she was born in Berlin,
she was brought up in Kristiansund. Started studying ballet around
the age of six with Evgenia Eduardova and Victor Gsovsky. Zorina
was said to be a professional dancer by the early age of seven
and made her first Stage appearance as a fairy in 'A Midsummer
Night's Dream' in 1929 directed by Max Reinhardt, in Berlin. Joined
the Ballet Russe in 1933 which the Colonel de Basil gave her the
Stage Name of Vera Zorina and toured England and the USA. At age
18 had an open menage a trois with Leonide Massine and his wife. An extremely talented Ballet dancer who tried to break into movies
when Samuel Goldwyn brought her to the States for a contract.
Although Vera was fabulous, ballet was not highly accepted in
movies at the time. When she married Ballanchine,
her movie career took a start but, alas, did not continue. Zorina was the director of the musical "Cabaret" in
Oslo during the 1960's. In the 1970's, Zorina would be appointed
Director of the Norwegian Opera also in Oslo. She continued touring
the U.S. until her retirement in the early 1980s. In 1990 Zorina
moved to Santa Fe, where she continued a career as an opera director
for several troupes such as the Santa Fe Opera. | 
