during the soviet era lyubov was a prima ballerina. lyubov was born in vladivostok in 1950.ballet at age five. at the time, vladivostok was a closed city with limited recreational facilities and there was nowhere for her to perform ballet. >> translator: there were theaters for plays but none for ballet. but the people loved the ballet. >> at age ten, lubyov left home and enrolled at a ballet academy in central siberia. after graduation she performed for 20 years at prima ballerina in a city in western siberia. in recognition of her achievements, lyubov received a commendation from the soviet government. lyubov retired in 1988 at the age of 38 and returned home to vladivostok. three years later the soviet union collapsed. the amount of her pension was significantly reduced and she was forced to take janitorial jobs to eke out a living. lyubov's checkered life even made the newspapers. >> translator: when i heard an opera and ballet theater had opened in vladivostok, i was happy, but at the same time i was sad. happy because the theater i dreamed about since i was five years