A 17-year-old ballerina from Glenn Dale, Maryland, has been living in London and attending the prestigious Royal Ballet School for the past three years. She is on track to graduate in July.
Rebecca Stewart grew up training at the Citydance conservatory in North Bethesda, Maryland.
During the pandemic, Stewart said she started taking Zoom classes offered by the Royal Ballet School. After noticing her talent on Zoom, the directors of the school invited her to audition for a full-time spot.
“I’m very proud that I get to say that I came from Maryland, from Citydance,” Stewart said.
Stewart also spoke to her experience as a minority in the ballet world.
“Certain things like pink tights and pink ballet shoes have kind of been the norm, and that’s why Black people are kind of a minority within ballet ... Because it started in Europe and therefore has European ideals,” Stewart said.
She said she makes it a point to wear brown tights and shoes when dancing.
Once she graduates from the school in July, she says she hopes to join the Royal Ballet Company.
“It's just been a lot of hard work, and I’m hoping that it pays off,” Stewart added.
Among other accomplishments, Stewart had a role in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in the 2019-2020 performance season and was featured in Pointe Magazine, an international ballet magazine, in 2022.
