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Arts & Entertainment

Young Folk Dancers Share an American Story

The kids, who were adopted from a Russian children's home, take the stage in costumes of their homeland. They're American kids now but haven't forgotten their culture.

There was an international festival last weekend at the local community college in Menifee. Along with the adult performers who were sharing dances from Hawaii, Mexico, Russia and Armenia was a small dance troupe of children.

The children had all been adopted within the past two years from a children’s home in Russia. The last time the children performed together was in 2008, when they came out on a summer tour program. At that time, they’d performed traditional and modern Russian songs and dances at various churches and the Orange County Fair.

It was a way to share their Russian culture as well as to experience life in the United States for a few weeks during the summer. 

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The children are proud of their culture but also understand they represent the children who still live in children’s homes or orphanages around the world.

They live in Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills and Riverside, a long way from St. Petersburg, Russia. They no longer take dance classes with a former Olympic gymnast who worked at the children’s home. Now they work with a mom who took years of Russian-style ballet as a child and an older sibling who was an original member of the Nightlight Ensemble from 1996 through 2008.

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The children enjoy getting together, speaking in Russian, working together to learn dances that represent their Russian culture and sharing it with others.

The children were very nervous as they put on their costumes and got ready to go on stage. The announcer asked who was born in another country or knew another language, trying to help the audience understand that these children spoke no English two years ago, when they came to California.

Now they shared their anxiety about going on stage—in fluent English. The children looked a bit shocked when they first took the stage but quickly moved into their dance steps as the music began to play and they reached their comfort zone.

They were like any child going on stage, with audience members clapping, showing support and parents in the background, taking pictures and grinning with pride to see their children perform.

The children were hot and sweaty after their performance but had grins from ear to ear as they stepped off the blacktop and went to change. They stopped for a few brief photo opportunities in their brightly colored traditional costumes.

Then they quickly changed from Russian dancers into American kids, in shorts and T-shirts, grimacing as the moms quickly slathered them in sunblock. They celebrated at a local restaurant with lemonade and burgers, not blini and tea.

 

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