The experience left Rebecca heartbroken and sent her on a path of trying to act like a boy. She worked as a race car driver and settled in a job in IT, but she still wanted to dance. Rebecca said that she’s faced many challenges not only as a trans dancer, but also as an older dancer.

Rebecca lived in various parts of the U.K. and with each city she moved to, she would thumb through a phone book and contact dance studios to try to find someone who would teach her.

It wasn’t until she was in her 30s that she finally found a studio she could call home. Lynne Reucroft-Croome, a teacher at the Lynton Academy of Dance where Rebecca trains, decided to take Rebecca on.

She started taking one to five classes a week as she continued transitioning.

In 2013 the Royal Academy of Dance changed its policy that only biologically born female dancers could take its female courses, which allowed Rebecca to take an exam, which evaluates dancers’ abilities to push themselves mentally, physically and technically.

Since passing the exam, Rebecca has continued to train although she’s still a relatively new performer. Her first performance was in February 2018 for her ballet school’s show.