In the case of Ulanova, it would seem from the book they had no problems;
she is made out to be the most perfect and loyal Socialist artist of her time.
Always faithfully doing her work-outs even during summer vacations as her
girlfriends froliced out in the sunshine, she comes to see her hard work
pay off when she becomes a prima ballerina and is able to live - alone - in a
nice apartment. She also won the USSR's highest award, the Lenin Prize.
Some interesting, archival film footage still exists and I've watched snippets of
Swan Lake, etc. on YouTube, but for those of us raised with the more
ethereal image of a dancer her solid, Slavic, 1950's style "Ballerina" will
unfortunately only bring to mind one thing: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.