Ballerina

Ballerina

Monica Loughman’s story is the enchanting tale of a 14-year-old girl leaving the comforts of home to train in a strict and austere Russian ballet school. She brought her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina with her. While many young ballerinas’ aspirations are unfulfilled, Loughman became a dancing sensation and was the first Western European to join Russia's distinguished Perm State Theatre of Opera and Ballet. <br />Not just for ballet lovers, this gripping tale also details the endurance and stamina needed to survive in post Soviet-Union Russia. Monica vividly evokes the closed and foreign world of ballet with natural assurance. Her book also reveals the brutality and suffering that often lies behind ballet's fairytale facade.<br />Ballerina is the story of a young girl’s single-minded determination to succeed against the odds. It is a truly engrossing story.