SIMI VALLEY : Student Dances With Royal Ballet of London

A 16-year-old Simi Valley High School student is spending the weekend performing with the Royal Ballet of London.

Rachel Helfand said her role in the performances of “Swan Lake,” scheduled through today at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, consists more of walking than dancing.

Still, the first performance, Thursday night, was a bit of a challenge, Helfand said. “The only thing I was nervous about was tripping on the dresses because they’re really big,” she said.

Helfand, who has been dancing since she was 7, now practices for more than an hour five days a week. “It’s tiring, but it’s really rewarding,” she said. Among the rewards: being chosen for the role as a lady of the court after an audition.

To hear Helfand tell it, backstage at “Swan Lake” was even more exciting than the performance itself. “They were really nervous, so you try not to bother them that much,” she said.