Ballerina Dreams

Ballerina Dreams

The Ballerina It is a chilly night in December. I stand backstage wearing leg warmers and a sweatshirt, but I'm still shivering. “ Five minutes, Michaela! " I hear. It's time for me to dance. I stretch my legs and point my toes to get them ready. I check my tiara to make sure it's not loose, and fluff out my pink tutu. The knots in my pointe shoe ribbons are tied nice and tight. I wouldn't want them to slip off during the performance.

I peek through the stage curtains and see the eager faces of the audience. They are waiting for the ballerina to appear. The music begins, and my heart beats fast with excitement. I fly onto the stage. I am the ballerina!

2 The Orphan Girl Long before I became a ballerina, I was an orphan in Sierra Leone, a country in western Africa. My parents died there in the ongoing war. I was sent to an orphanage (OR-fuh-nidge), where children without parents live.