to make it look effortless.

But, beneath all of that, it's the most difficult thing I could imagine.

Ballet can completely break you, and it's pretty all or nothing.

When did you start dancing?

I didn't start studying ballet seriously at City Ballet School until 14,

which is pretty late.

A lot of girls start when they're like 6, 7, 8,

and I started in level three with the 11-year-olds.

Did you ever feel dejected because you were older,

thinking that you had to do so much more to catch up?

So, I would leave the class almost every day

and go cry in the bathroom before coming back in

because the 11-year-olds were so talented.

It was really depressing

and I thought about quitting all the time.

What kept you going?

It's hard because you don't see improvement day to day.

But, eventually, you see just a glimpse,

and that feels so good when you can see that you've accomplished something.

Tell me about some of the competitions that you've won.

This year, we did participate in the Youth America Grand Prix.

It's the biggest student ballet competition in the world,

and I ended up winning the silver medal.

So I received a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School.

I was accepted to Harvard this year,

but I'm choosing to defer.

And how difficult is it to get into the Royal Ballet School?

I think it's harder than Harvard.

It's definitely a dream come true.

You have a very distinct ritual when it comes to performance and ballet.

Can you tell me about that?

So, part of the ritual for me is a very set routine for preparing your body,

and in doing such a repetitive and specific warm-up,

you also get your mind into that sort of zen zone.

I just sit down, close my eyes,

and then I rehearse my dance in my head.

Sometimes I'll put in earbuds,

the music activates the muscle memory when you're dancing.

I like to visualize all the dancing,

go through each step in my mind,

just thinking about the movements, and also,

really trying to feel them in my body.

You do the ideal in your head and hope it translates.

What pressure are you under?

How high are the stakes for you?

As a student, each performance matters so much,

because you just don't have as many in the competitions,

you only have one chance on stage.

It's a lot of pressure.

The visualization is so important, because it shows me

what I'm going for, what I'd like the performance to be.

And I get really nervous.

So if my mind goes blank onstage,

the muscle memory kind of kicks in,

because your body recognizes what's going on and what's going to happen.

What lessons have you learned about success?

The most surprising thing for me has just been

that success can come.

I mean, when I started and I was nowhere near the top of my class,

I never imagined any of this.

I really fell in love with dance when I discovered classical ballet.

And it's kind of strange, but what I like the most about it is just how challenging it is,

and improvement that you see is directly proportional to what you put in.

You decide how hard you work,

and you decide how much better you get, and it's all on you,

which, that independence and control, is really satisfying.

I hope you enjoyed this episode

about Rio's dream of becoming a professional ballerina

and the rituals that are helping her get there.

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The ritual of swimming is so important for me.

Every day my body gets to be immersed in the bay.

I can't imagine my life without it now.