CAMARILLO : Dancer to Study at Royal Academy

As a young girl, Rebecca Rosengren dreaded taking her first ballet class, although she had been doing other kinds of dancing for nine years. In fact, she was so intimidated that her mother had to drag her there, the young girl crying all the way.

But after the first class, which was more difficult and competitive than any she had ever experienced, Rosengren became hooked for a lifetime.

Now, at 20, the Camarillo resident is preparing to leave the country in September for the prestigious College of the Royal Academy of Dance in London, where she took some classes after her 1989 high school graduation.

In March, she survived a 12-hour audition and was among a small group selected to enroll out of several hundred applicants. After she completes the three-year program, Rosengren hopes to open her own dance school in Southern California.

Rosengren said she prefers teaching and behind-the-scenes stage work to performing.

“Performing is fun, but the only part I really like is the rehearsals. Once I get on stage, it’s over for me. I don’t like it anymore,” she said. “It’s fun backstage making sure everything gets together.”

The program at the London dance school, which has about 60 students, will prepare Rosengren for a career as a ballet instructor. She will also take classes ranging from child psychology to sewing, so she can make costumes.

“You walk away feeling like you know what you’re doing,” said Rosengren, whose two younger sisters also dance and whose twin brothers used to dance. “I can go teach classes now. I know enough. But I’d rather be able to go in and say, ‘I took anatomy, and I know it’s that muscle you’re supposed to use.’ ”

Tuition is 6,000 British pounds, or nearly $11,000, a year. She is applying for grants, and the remainder of the tuition will be covered by her parents. Rosengren plans to live with her great uncle in London, at least for awhile, to cut down on expenses.

She studies ballet at Westside Academy of Dance in Santa Monica, Dance Warehouse in Santa Barbara and occasionally at Stanley Holden Dance Center in West Los Angeles. She also teaches at a Montessori school in Ventura.

Her ballet teacher said Rosengren is willing to learn, despite her already extensive training.

“She is a fine dancer,” said Judy Douglas. “People who are classically trained sometimes have a snooty attitude, but she is down-to-earth. It hasn’t gone to her head.”