When I Learned My Neighbor Was a Ballerina

My elderly neighbor, Mrs. Petrova, walks very slowly with a cane and waves at me every morning from her porch. I'd lived next to her for three years before I learned she'd danced with the Bolshoi Ballet in the 1960s.

It came up when my daughter, who is seven, started ballet lessons. Mrs. Petrova saw her in her pink tutu and lit up like a Christmas tree. She invited us over and showed us photos from her performances: her in "Swan Lake," "Giselle," "The Nutcracker." Then she put down her cane, stood very straight and showed my daughter how to hold her arms properly.

Now my daughter goes over once a week for "lessons." Mrs. Petrova sits in her chair and gives instructions in a mix of English and Russian. My daughter takes them very seriously.

At my daughter's first recital, Mrs. Petrova sat in the front row with flowers. She clapped louder than anyone.