7 Chapter 6 On the Road

Chapter 6 On the Road When Maria graduated from high school in 1942, her father told her it was time that she began earning a living. Maria's first paid job was dancing in a movie. It was a musical called Presenting Lily Mars. The star of the movie was a young actress named Judy Garland. While Maria was intrigued by the movie star, the dancing job was not very challenging. Maria's heart simply wasn't in Hollywood. She wanted to become a ballerina.

1942年，玛丽亚高中毕业，父亲告诉她是时候开始谋生了。 玛丽亚的第一份有报酬的工作是在电影里跳舞。 那是一部名为《呈现莉莉·玛斯》的音乐剧。 这部电影的主角是一位名叫朱迪·加兰的年轻女演员。 虽然玛丽亚对这位电影明星很感兴趣，但跳舞的工作并不是很有挑战性。 玛丽亚的心根本不在好莱坞。 她想成为一名芭蕾舞演员。

Earlier in the year, Maria had seen the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform. This was a dance company that traveled across the country. Some of the lead dancers had even joined one of Madame's classes to work with her best pupils. Maria was among them. Once again, Maria's mother came up with a plan. She arranged for Maria to travel with a friend to New York City. Once there, Maria could audition for the Ballet Russe.

今年早些时候，玛丽亚观看了蒙特卡洛俄罗斯芭蕾舞团的演出。 这是一个在全国巡回演出的舞蹈团。 一些领舞演员甚至加入了夫人的一个班级，和她最好的学生一起工作。 玛丽亚就是其中之一。玛丽亚的母亲又想出了一个计划。 她安排玛丽亚和一个朋友去纽约旅行。 在那里，玛丽亚可以参加俄罗斯芭蕾舞团的试镜。

Maria was seventeen years old that summer of 1942. America was at war with Japan and Germany. The train terminal was crowded with soldiers hugging their wives and kissing their children goodbye. Maria had never traveled alone anywhere. She could not remember a time when Marjorie was not at her side. But her sister was still in high school and had to stay behind. "All aboard!" the train conductor called. Maria hugged her family, then she stepped onto the train. Once she arrived in New York City a few days later, Maria faced a great disappointment. The secretary of the Ballet Russe turned her away. "We don't need any more dancers," the woman said coldly. The words tore at Maria's heart. She had traveled all the way across the country with the hope of joining the Ballet Russe. She swallowed

1942年夏天，玛丽亚17岁。 当时美国正与日本和德国交战。 火车终点站挤满了士兵，他们拥抱着妻子，亲吻着孩子道别。 玛丽亚从来没有单独旅行过。 她记不得玛乔丽什么时候不在她身边。 但她的妹妹还在上高中，不得不留下。 “上车!”列车长喊道。 玛丽亚拥抱了她的家人，然后走上火车。 几天后，玛丽亚一到纽约，就感到非常失望。 俄罗斯芭蕾舞团的秘书把她赶走了。 “我们不需要更多的舞者了，”女人冷冷地说。 这句话刺痛了玛丽亚的心。 她不远万里走遍全国，希望能加入俄罗斯芭蕾舞团。 她吞下

back her tears long enough to write her name and the address of her hotel in New York City. She gave it to the secretary. Once outside, Maria began to cry. She was alone and lonely in the city, and she didn't have a job. Three days later, something wonderful happened. Mr. Denham, who was the head of the Ballet Russe, remembered Maria. He had seen her dance when the Ballet Russe had visited Madame Nijinska's studio a year earlier. Now the company was about to go on tour. At the last minute, one of

她强忍住眼泪，写下了自己的名字和纽约旅馆的地址。 她把它给了秘书。 一出门，玛丽亚就哭了起来。 在这个城市里，她孤身一人，很孤独，而且她没有工作。 三天后，奇妙的事情发生了。 德纳姆先生是俄罗斯芭蕾舞团的团长，他记得玛丽亚。 一年前，俄罗斯芭蕾舞团访问尼金斯卡夫人的舞蹈室时，他曾看过她的舞蹈。 现在这个剧团就要巡回演出了。 最后一刻，其中一个

his dancers had decided to leave the company. Mr. Denham hired Maria. A few days later, Maria once again arrived at the train station dragging her heavy suitcase behind her. A crowd of dancers and musicians was already on the platform. Maria knew no one. She took a seat in the train car. All night, she sat upright in the darkened car, because she didn't know—as the other more-experienced travelers did—how to make her seat recline. And she was too timid to ask for help. In the morning, her back and legs were stiff. What did it matter? She was going to dance with the Ballet Russe!

他的舞者们决定离开舞团。 德纳姆先生雇佣了玛丽亚。几天后，玛丽亚拖着沉重的手提箱再次来到火车站。 一群舞蹈演员和音乐家已经在台上了。 玛丽亚一个人也不认识。她在火车车厢里找了个座位。 整个晚上，她都笔直地坐在昏暗的车厢里，因为她不知道——和其他更有经验的旅行者一样——如何让她的座位向后倾斜。 她太胆小了，不敢寻求帮助。 早上，她的背和腿都僵硬了。 这有什么关系?她要和俄罗斯芭蕾舞团一起跳舞!

In each city, the troupe unloaded its costumes and musical instruments. The dancers went first to the theater where they would perform that evening. Because of the long hours cramped on a train or sometimes a bus, they carefully stretched their legs and arms and back. After warming up, they took a class. Then they went to their hotel rooms. Often, the rooms were shabby, small, and dark. The girls paid for their rooms out of their weekly earnings. To save money, three girls shared a room. Sometimes, Maria slept on a mattress. Other nights, she slept on the floor. The dancers took turns washing their hair in the bathroom sink down the hall. Refreshed, they returned to the theater to rehearse again before the evening's performance.

在每个城市，剧团卸下戏服和乐器。 舞蹈演员们先去了剧院，他们晚上要在那里表演。 由于在火车上或有时在公共汽车上挤了很长时间，他们小心地伸展腿、手臂和背部。 热身后，他们上了一堂课。 然后他们回到了酒店房间。 这些房间通常都是破旧、狭小、黑暗的。 女孩们从每周的收入中支付房费。 为了省钱，三个女孩共用一个房间。 有时，玛丽亚睡在床垫上。 其他晚上，她睡在地板上。 跳舞的人轮流在大厅尽头的浴室水槽里洗头。 他们神清气爽地回到剧院，在晚上的演出前再次排练。