I tried to equal Tatiana Alexandrovna’s patience with the amount of work I put into each class, each rehearsal and each performance. Our teamwork saw us through many roles and programs. Starting with two variations from Le Corsaire and Paquita, we worked our way up to my first Masha in the full- length ballet The Nutcracker , Columbine in Harlequinade and, finally, my first Kitri in the Don Quixote grand pas de deux.
Now, after over two decades since I first came under her expert care, my love and admiration for Tatiana remains undiminished.
Now, after over two decades since I first came under her expert care, my love and admiration for Tatiana remains undiminished. We have successfully made the transition from a once-exclusive teacher-student relationship to mother and daughter, and now, to the best of friends. How I can continue to dance without her coaching and guidance, I really don’t know. It’s virtually impossible. All the applause, all those curtain calls, all the greetings and congratulations I receive after every performance, I share with her in my heart. All the future curtain calls I will make throughout my dancing career, she should take with me. Several years after my 1984 graduation (I graduated at the top of her class), Tatiana and I had a chance to sit in her cozy kitchen for tea, cake and a lot of reminiscing. Recalling those first few weeks when I first arrived in Leningrad, she said that
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