Dancing 2,600 miles from home - Young Dancer® - one student's experience at Canada's National Ballet School - Biography

Dance Magazine, Nov, 2003 by Ann Murphy

But now Samantha has decided she wants the support of her family, at least for a while. "I think the stress of being that far away had been building for a long time, and she finally got to the point where she was ready to make the change," says Michael. "It's hard to leave friends and a familiar place. Part of me thinks that she could come to us in December and say, I'm ready to go back now.'"

Marin Dance Theatre offers a comfort level that appeals to Samantha, according to her dad, which he says is important in easing her transition to new schools and new friends. One thing that hasn't changed is Samantha's desire to dance, and she dreams about what life will be like as a professional dancer. Although Samantha has yet to visit New York City, that's where she hopes to go when she graduates--New York, that is, and American Ballet Theatre.

Ann Murphy is a Berkeley-based writer on the arts.