Ballerina Natalia Lushin from the Bolshoi to Philly's Rock School
Cherry Hill, NJ - Traveling from Russia to the USA in 1990, Seattle, Washington, was the first stop for ballerina Natalia Lushin, then with the Bolshoi Ballet. A remarkable surprise was in store for the dancer and company, many of whom had, of course, never been to America.
Still today conveying the sense of astonishment all felt, Lushin recalls with humor: "Seattle is a very beautiful city. Very clean. We were staying in a beautiful Sheraton Hotel. A lot of different com-panies [of different kinds of organizations] from all over the world. I remember we were in the elevator as part of a humongous group and some people were wearing this sign: 'I am an Alcoholic.' In Russia, that's like something you would be very ashamed of. To even mention you have a problem about drinking! And all of a sudden these people here are walking around....'I am an Alcoholic.' Wow! People are so honest about things you can never be honest about in Russia."
There was probably time to reassess that first impression on the long flight from Seattle to New York after which the Bolshoi Company performed in a number of major, American cities.
Natalie Lushin - add Zeiger - now resides in Cherry Hill, NJ, with her American-born husband, Jeffrey, whom she met while he was conducting business in Russia. They have two young daughters.
Proudly, Lushin explains, "He was the first American businessman under 'Perestroika' in1989 who went to Moscow and opened the first, American steak house. It was called 'Tren-Mos'....'Tren' from Trenton, New Jersey and 'Mos' from Moscow. It had [already] been there successfully for five years when I went there with a mutual friend, a former soloist with the Bolshoi. He introduced me to Jeffrey who spoke great Russian. I couldn't speak any English at all."
The occasion must have been of considerable moment for Lushin to remember "We had steak with a baked potato with red caviar inside the potato. And sour cream. Jeffrey had to make it a little bit Russian." He later opened a second restaurant in Moscow and named it 'American Bistro' but according to Lushin "...the food is mainly Italian and French.
"My second language is French, " says she, adding that it is "much better" than her English which, however, with its Russian structure and accents is really quite enchanting. The tall, beauteous ballerina also speaks Italian which she finds "close to French."
Lushin admits that she "....never planned to come and live in the U.S. Jeffrey and I got married in Moscow, had a small wedding, then came here and had a big wedding with his parents and two hundred and fifty guests. After the wedding, I went back to Russia, back to the Bolshoi." Pregnancy intervened; thus it was a return to America to have an American baby. "But I am not an immigrant," insists Lushin. "I am still a Russian citizen. My dressing room at the Bolshoi remains untouched. My clothes still there. My makeup, there. So I came for a quick birth and then....go back."
A second child prevented that. At this juncture, a green card and yearly visits to her beloved homeland must suffice. "I am such a patriot of my country," she confesses. "I love Russia so dearly."
At present, the long-limbed, Bolshoi ballerina teaches at Philadelphia's Rock School for Dance Education, the official school of the Pennsylvania Ballet. She enthuses, "It's a beautiful school with a wonderful team of teachers." Students Christine Shevchenko and Isaac Hernandez recently won gold and bronze medals at the renowned Moscow Ballet Competition. They were taught and coached by Rock School directors Bo and Stephanie Spassoff. "It was a great success for the school," exclaims Lushin. "Stephanie and Bo dedicated themselves completely to these kids."
In a way, this must remind Lushin of her Bolshoi experience. "Before I participated with the Bolshoi Ballet, I was with the Moscow Academy School of the Bolshoi. You have to be ten years old to be able to audition for the school where you stay for eight years. [It is] in the fifth grade when they actually choose who is going to keep on going. Before you get into the school when you are little, there are three audition steps. First, they are looking at your body, if you have the ability to dance. Second, you have to pass medical exam....eyes, spine for scoliosis; if you have flat feet. The third thing is your musicality. If you are not musical, they will not accept you. If you can't tell if it's a waltz or a march, forget about it. And you have to be able even to show something. 'Here's the music. What would you dance to it?' It's quite hard. All you have is a little underwear. No top. Basically naked. they have to look at your shoulders, muscles.
"Up to fifth grade, fifty [per cent] will go." Demonstrating with a sweeping, 'out-the-door' gesture, Lushin whistles "'Good bye!' and then [those chosen] have another three years. By the end of those, the directors and ballet masters from all the major ballet companies come one day to watch your class.
"I don't remember anything about that audition. It was so FAST. It's like 'Oh my gosh! It's over. How did I do?' You are so nervous because you have only one chance. But you made it! Yes I did!"
In a way, it was because of the Bolshoi that Lushin met her husband, Jeffrey Zeiger, inasmuch as they were introduced by the former Bolshoi dancer. It was also because of Lushin's dance career that she traveled the world. America was so interesting to her, "....particularly New York because so many people from the Soviet Union, from the Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, speaking Russian. Only ten hours away yet so many people speaking Russian!"
But nowhere else did she see signs reading "I am an Alcoholic." Yet how wonderful it would be if Natalia Lushin-Zeiger could unabashedly wear a placard saying "I am a Bolshoi Ballerina" or "I am a Rock School Teacher."