| Yulia and Gary Miller were married in Siberia in July 2005. She remained in Russia until her move to the U.S. in March. |
November 03, 2006
The love of Webster native Gary Miller and his bride Yulia Vladimirovna Kazantseva
Miller, a native of Siberia, has transcended an ocean and a language barrier.
The couple met when Yulia, a ballerina, was touring the United States with the
Moscow Ballet's production of "The Great Russian Nutcracker."
Gary, a sound/video technician with the AVID Group, Inc., joined the tour when it
performed at the Touhill Performing Arts Center in December 2004. After the first
night, the sound engineer with the touring company quit and Gary was offered the
job.
But since Yulia was rehearsing when Gary was asleep — having spent the early
morning hours setting up sound equipment — the two didn't meet until the company
was in Minneapolis, Minn.
"My friend and I went to a bar and I saw him (Gary) standing there all dressed in
black, with piercings here and there," Yulia laughed, pointing to her nose and lip.
"Who is that? He is scary!"
Regardless, they hit it off immediately, despite the fact that Yulia did not know
English and Gary did not know Russian. Their relationship began by talking from a
translation book.
"By the end of the tour, we were speaking easily to each other and blissfully in
love," Gary said.
After the tour, the couple had to face the reality that Yulia had to return to Russia.
On Dec. 28, 2004, they said a tearful goodbye at New York's JFK International Airport.
"I promised her I would see her again," Gary said.
He made good on his word.
"I thought it was finished," Yulia said. "I lived in Moscow. He lived here. And I hate
the telephone."
But when he began calling everyday, "I began to think, he must be serious!" Yulia
said.
After Yulia left, Gary threw himself into learning Russian, and in March, 2005 he
traveled to Moscow.
"I realized then that I wanted to marry this ballerina," he said.
He planned to have her accompany him back to the U.S. where she could meet his
Webster Groves parents, Gerry and Betsy Miller, and the rest of his family. He also
planned to propose. Unfortunately, strict rules in effect because of 9/11 prevented
her from returning to the states with him.
"I came on back, and proposed to her over the phone," he said. "Then I flew back in
June. "We traveled to Novosibirsk, Siberia, via a two-day train ride through Russia.
We were married on July 2, 2005, among Yulia's family and friends."
Yulia stayed in Russia to finish her bachelor's degree in advertising, public relations
and psychology from the Moscow State Social University. Last March, she moved to
St. Louis to be with Gary in Webster Groves. She now teaches ballet at Caston's
Ballet in Webster Groves and hopes to do more touring.
In addition to his job at AVID, Gary is also a musician. The couple also has a band,
"Inside 6." They have a dream to bring more of the arts to St. Louis by opening up
their own dance and music company.
"We think the arts in general in St. Louis need a boost," Gary said. "We want to help
do that by creating our own performing company that features professional dancers,
musicians, sound technicians, all people we know here in St. Louis.
"It will be a diverse company and will include many of our Russian friends here who
have not had opportunities to perform," he said. "We will call it "Kazantseva Theater
— named after Yulia."
And, they stressed, it will not merely be classical ballet, but will include rock and
alternative music. They hope to open their company in sometime in 2007.
In addition, the couple wants to produce their own plays, starting with the story of
how they met.
Following graduation Bishop Dubourg High School, Gary attended St. Louis
Community College at Meramec, then went to the University of Missouri at St. Louis.
At age 14, he was diagnosed with Wolf-White-Parkinson Syndrome, a rare heart
rhythm disorder.
"I had three surgeries," he said. "The last one, which was successful, was done on
July 1, 2003. I had the date tattooed backwards on my left forearm. It sparked a new
life — a working heart, the release of my first album with my band, and the start of a
career in theatrical sound video which eventually led me to Yulia."
Yulia, who started studying ballet at the age of 9, danced with the Novosibirsk State
Theater of Opera and Ballet, and toured Europe with the Russian Academy of
Dramatic Arts.
The couple recently moved from Webster Groves to St. Louis Hills.
The love of Webster native Gary Miller and his bride Yulia Vladimirovna Kazantseva
Miller, a native of Siberia, has transcended an ocean and a language barrier.
The couple met when Yulia, a ballerina, was touring the United States with the
Moscow Ballet's production of "The Great Russian Nutcracker."
Gary, a sound/video technician with the AVID Group, Inc., joined the tour when it
performed at the Touhill Performing Arts Center in December 2004. After the first
night, the sound engineer with the touring company quit and Gary was offered the
job.
But since Yulia was rehearsing when Gary was asleep — having spent the early
morning hours setting up sound equipment — the two didn't meet until the company
was in Minneapolis, Minn.
"My friend and I went to a bar and I saw him (Gary) standing there all dressed in
black, with piercings here and there," Yulia laughed, pointing to her nose and lip.
"Who is that? He is scary!"
Regardless, they hit it off immediately, despite the fact that Yulia did not know
English and Gary did not know Russian. Their relationship began by talking from a
translation book.
"By the end of the tour, we were speaking easily to each other and blissfully in
love," Gary said.
After the tour, the couple had to face the reality that Yulia had to return to Russia.
On Dec. 28, 2004, they said a tearful goodbye at New York's JFK International Airport.
"I promised her I would see her again," Gary said.
He made good on his word.
"I thought it was finished," Yulia said. "I lived in Moscow. He lived here. And I hate
the telephone."
But when he began calling everyday, "I began to think, he must be serious!" Yulia
said.
After Yulia left, Gary threw himself into learning Russian, and in March, 2005 he
traveled to Moscow.
"I realized then that I wanted to marry this ballerina," he said.
He planned to have her accompany him back to the U.S. where she could meet his
Webster Groves parents, Gerry and Betsy Miller, and the rest of his family. He also
planned to propose. Unfortunately, strict rules in effect because of 9/11 prevented
her from returning to the states with him.
"I came on back, and proposed to her over the phone," he said. "Then I flew back in
June. "We traveled to Novosibirsk, Siberia, via a two-day train ride through Russia.
We were married on July 2, 2005, among Yulia's family and friends."
Yulia stayed in Russia to finish her bachelor's degree in advertising, public relations
and psychology from the Moscow State Social University. Last March, she moved to
St. Louis to be with Gary in Webster Groves. She now teaches ballet at Caston's
Ballet in Webster Groves and hopes to do more touring.
In addition to his job at AVID, Gary is also a musician. The couple also has a band,
"Inside 6." They have a dream to bring more of the arts to St. Louis by opening up
their own dance and music company.
"We think the arts in general in St. Louis need a boost," Gary said. "We want to help
do that by creating our own performing company that features professional dancers,
musicians, sound technicians, all people we know here in St. Louis.
"It will be a diverse company and will include many of our Russian friends here who
have not had opportunities to perform," he said. "We will call it "Kazantseva Theater
— named after Yulia."
And, they stressed, it will not merely be classical ballet, but will include rock and
alternative music. They hope to open their company in sometime in 2007.
In addition, the couple wants to produce their own plays, starting with the story of
how they met.
Following graduation Bishop Dubourg High School, Gary attended St. Louis
Community College at Meramec, then went to the University of Missouri at St. Louis.
At age 14, he was diagnosed with Wolf-White-Parkinson Syndrome, a rare heart
rhythm disorder.
"I had three surgeries," he said. "The last one, which was successful, was done on
July 1, 2003. I had the date tattooed backwards on my left forearm. It sparked a new
life — a working heart, the release of my first album with my band, and the start of a
career in theatrical sound video which eventually led me to Yulia."
Yulia, who started studying ballet at the age of 9, danced with the Novosibirsk State
Theater of Opera and Ballet, and toured Europe with the Russian Academy of
Dramatic Arts.
The couple recently moved from Webster Groves to St. Louis Hills.