1
2
I was a principal dancer with the Kirov ballet in Leningrad. I met my future husband because he was making a documentary, “Backstage at the Kirov”. Our eyes met and we fell in love with no language. Our relationship was a secret from KGB for 1½ years. We got married in Russia it took 6 months to get an exit visa. I had to go through Rome as a refuge to get to America.
I sat in the airport in New York for 10 hours with refuges from Vietnam. I got to Los Angeles where my husband met me. I travelled as a refuge with travel document of an exit visa from Russia. Later I got a green card because I was married to an American, but could not get my citizenship for 7 years by law. I was lucky that the San Francisco Ballet needed me to go on tour so they helped speed up the process. In 1986 I got my passport and citizenship. There were about 200 people at the ceremony and I had to pass a written exam on the Constitution.
For 7 years I danced around the world as a principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet until I had an accident in Paris – I was crossing the street and a car hit me. Because the Russian aristocracy had fled to Paris after the revolution in 1917, their decedents were coming to the performance to see the Russian ballerina I felt obligated to perform the leading role in Swan Lake on will power and adrenalin.
When I got back to America I had a concussion, my leg was numb and I got sent to a physical therapist and this ended my ballet career.
I moved to Taos with my ex husband and I’ve been teaching dance and painting and have shown my work in galleries in Santa Fe.
Now I’m retired and I’m still dealing with my injuries on a daily basis. I came to America because I fell in love with my husband and I have never regretted it.