Rose Vermazen stands en pointe, balancing perfectly on the tips of her ballet shoes.

How long can she stand like that?

“Until I want to go down,” she says, matter-of-factly.

Her dogged push for excellence has paid off. On Sunday, Rose officially began life as a student at the Bolshoi Academy in Moscow.

Like many, the 15-year-old Davis resident began her dancing career in a children’s ballet class. Unlike the rest of the kids, however, Rose was serious, practicing the steps without breaking into laughter or goofing around.