Gabrielle Harter has graced the stage at Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Theatre and other local venues, but last month the Bothell ballet dancer twirled about far from home.

The 13-year-old joined a dozen other International Ballet Theatre of Kirkland students for a nine-day study and cultural tour in St. Petersburg, Russia. They studied at the Vaganova Ballet Academy, attended a performance at the legendary Marinsky Theatre (where Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” debuted in 1892) and took the stage themselves for a modern-dance show.

On her group’s six-minute gig in front of a full house, Harter said: “It was exciting for me, I love performing. It was a really small stage — we were running into each other. I hope (it was entertaining) … everyone else said it looked great.”

During the dance-class portion of the trip, Harter said that it was an interesting experience, to say the least.

“The teacher spoke Russian and I had no idea what she was saying,” she said, noting that she did learn some Russian words, like pryvet (hello).

Harter’s “strict” instructor did help with her ballet technique, and she’s ready to display her new moves during some summer programs and later in performances of “The Nutcracker” and “Dracula.”

A tough teacher is just fine with Harter.

“They push you harder, and you get better because you push yourself,” she said.

Harter started taking ballet lessons at age 6 at Turning Point in Bothell; she’s been with the International Ballet Theatre for three years.

Originally, she was a softball player until her mom turned her on to dance.

“At first, I wasn’t sure, and then I fell in love with it,” Harter said. “It’s what I want to do. (I like) the way it makes me feel when I’m dancing.”