To Russia with love: American teen follows dream into Bolshoi Ballet By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.17.16 Word Count 691 Harper Ortlieb (center) from Mount Hood, Oregon, warms up for a performance at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia, early in March. Photo: AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko MOSCOW, Russia In Tatyana Galtseva's ballet class at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, one 15-year-old girl stands out. She is an American named Harper Ortlieb. She left her small town in Oregon in the United States to move to Moscow, Russia, in order to become a top ballerina. The famous ballet academy has 84 students from other countries. Few are as young as Harper and few join the regular Russian students. "She is a very gifted girl," Galtseva said. "When children are talented, regardless of their nationality, they are alike in some way in how they approach what they do." The Bolshoi Ballet Academy found Harper during its U.S. summer program in Connecticut and offered her a place in the Moscow academy. She knew her teachers would be tough and that it would be hard to be so far away. It has been even harder than she thought. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
"It's Been Very Difficult" "It's been very difficult, but with that comes strength and with that I improve," Harper said. She thinks the academy will make her a better dancer, one who dances with more feeling. Her parents were afraid about sending her to Moscow. The United States and Russia had a difficult relationship at that time and some Russians did not like Americans. Harper, though, says she feels comfortable with her classmates. Just that morning some of the other girls brought her a skirt to wear over her ballet outfit. They were expecting reporters from other countries. The women at her neighborhood grocery store like Harper. They help her buy fruit and always have her favorite almond butter, a kind of topping for toast. At Starbucks, they make sure to spell her strange name right on her cup. But The Sacrifices Are Worth It Seventeen Americans study at the Bolshoi academy. Among foreign students, they are only outnumbered by the 28 students from Japan. The rest come from 22 other countries. Some of the foreign students were in the spring concert on Thursday evening. Harper was one of the few girls chosen for two of the dances. "Preparing for a performance, it's all you think about. It kind of overtakes your mind," she said about the show. "Dancing is what makes me happy, no matter how much you have to sacrifice." Her teacher thinks Harper can become a professional ballerina, one who dances for work. She has strength and beauty and the will to learn. "She is extraordinarily attentive," Galtseva said about Harper's ability to focus. "She is always smiling. Such a sweet, wonderful girl." Mother Joins Daughter, Explore Moscow Together Harper has three more years before she finishes at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, something very few foreigners do. Her mother, Layne Baumann, moved to Moscow in order to help her. She lives close to the school so Harper can live with her instead of at school. Every day after school, Baumann asks her daughter about class. Then, they talk to Harper's father, Tim Ortlieb, using a computer program called Skype. He is still in their home in Oregon, which is 11 hours behind Moscow. Harper learns more than just dance. She also learns Russian every day at school. She learns her other subjects, like math, on the computer. Her only free day is Sunday, when she explores Moscow with her mother. They also have already seen more shows at the Bolshoi Theater than most Russians have in a lifetime. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
From Tiny Dancer To Potential Star Harper started ballet at a dance school in her town when she was 3. She started going to the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre when she was 11. The ballet school was in Portland, so Harper and her mother had to travel for three hours each day, six days a week. "Being 3 in ballet class, it's fun and games," Harper said, smiling at the memory. "And then once I got more professional I realized how much you have to sacrifice, and how difficult it is." She talks about learning to wear stiff, painful pointe shoes. She is afraid that she's not good enough. Harper said, "We have to wait. I have to work harder." This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Quiz 1 Which detail BEST shows that Harper Ortlieb is an extremely talented dancer? She has been dancing since age 3. She is attentive and strong, according to her teacher. She was one of the few students chosen to dance in the Bolshoi's spring concert. She has seen more ballet at the Bolshoi Theater than most people see in a lifetime. 2 What effect has the Bolshoi Academy had on Harper Ortlieb? It has made her dance with more emotion. It has made her feel sure that she will become a professional. It has made her feel more relaxed when she dances. It has made dancing seem easier to her. 3 Read the quote from the article. "She is a very gifted girl," Galtseva said. "When children are talented, regardless of their nationality, they are alike in some way in how they approach what they do." What does the phrase "regardless of their nationality" show about the students? that they all have pride in their home countries that they all come from the same country that coming from another country is always hard that coming from different countries does not matter This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
4 Read the excerpt from the article. The women at her neighborhood grocery store like Harper. They help her buy fruit and always have her favorite almond butter, a kind of topping for toast. At Starbucks, they make sure to spell her strange name right on her cup. What does the word "strange" suggest in the sentence? Harper's name is very unusual. Harper's name is unfamiliar to Russians. The people at Starbucks are being judgmental. The people at Starbucks have not met Americans before. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
Answer Key 1 Which detail BEST shows that Harper Ortlieb is an extremely talented dancer? She has been dancing since age 3. She is attentive and strong, according to her teacher. She was one of the few students chosen to dance in the Bolshoi's spring concert. She has seen more ballet at the Bolshoi Theater than most people see in a lifetime. 2 What effect has the Bolshoi Academy had on Harper Ortlieb? It has made her dance with more emotion. It has made her feel sure that she will become a professional. It has made her feel more relaxed when she dances. It has made dancing seem easier to her. 3 Read the quote from the article. "She is a very gifted girl," Galtseva said. "When children are talented, regardless of their nationality, they are alike in some way in how they approach what they do." What does the phrase "regardless of their nationality" show about the students? that they all have pride in their home countries that they all come from the same country that coming from another country is always hard that coming from different countries does not matter This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6
4 Read the excerpt from the article. The women at her neighborhood grocery store like Harper. They help her buy fruit and always have her favorite almond butter, a kind of topping for toast. At Starbucks, they make sure to spell her strange name right on her cup. What does the word "strange" suggest in the sentence? Harper's name is very unusual. Harper's name is unfamiliar to Russians. The people at Starbucks are being judgmental. The people at Starbucks have not met Americans before. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 7