At only 15 years old, ballerina and former RHS student Katherine Greene had to make a major life-changing decision. She left Maryland and moved to Miami alone to pursue her dream of becoming a professional ballerina.

“This decision to leave your friends, family, town and go to this completely unfamiliar place with people you don’t know and live on your own, it was just a really hard decision,” Greene said.

Greene began attending five-week summer ballet intensives when she was 13 years old. This past summer, she attended a program at the Miami City Ballet School, where she was asked to join the school year-round on scholarship.

Greene’s parents had to make the choice to let their youngest child attend the school without any family or friends. Greene’s mother Carol Greene said, “We did not want to regret turning down the opportunity for Katherine to pursue her dream. She does not know the outcome of all this, but she will never have to say she didn’t try her best to achieve her goal and we never have to say we didn’t give her the chance.”

Greene has studied ballet since she was four. Until this year, Greene danced at the Berrend Dance Centre in Olney, Md., dancing six days a week.

“I dance because dance makes me happy,” Greene said. “Many times I’ve considered quitting dance because of the strain it takes on your body and your mental health and then I think about it a�� and I realize that I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t dance.”

Former ballet dancer and friend, sophomore Anna Llewellyn said, “Katherine is such a good dancer because she loves it. She’s always happy when she’s dancing and it really shows through. Her flexibility, strength and feet were all big factors in her acceptance and scholarship to Miami City Ballet.”

Now dancing in Miami, Greene is a pre-professional two dancer, the highest level a young ballerina can reach under a ballet company. At fifteen, Greene is the youngest in her class. She has six-hour practices six days a week, while attending the nearby Miami Beach Senior High School, living in an apartment near both schools. During holiday breaks and between semesters, Greene comes home to Rockville to see family and friends.

Greene’s mother said, “There were times in middle and high school where I would say “Katherine, tell me that you love it, because you are sacrificing a lot for ballet.a�� Her answer was always, “I love ita�� a�� her love of the dance remained a constant.”