Claim: French-trained Violette Verdy left the New York City Ballet under George Balanchine.
Evidence: Although her French training and her petite physique set her apart from most female dancers in the company, she seemed to have an instinctive understanding of Balanchine's choreographic aesthetic; her quip that she feared sticking out "like a French poodle among a troupe of borzois" was widely circulated, but any personal anxiety was quickly dispelled by her well-received performances. From 1958 to 1977 she was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet where she performed in the world premieres of several works created specifically for her by choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.