Ryland Rich loves ballet. She loves to talk about it, perform it and watch others dance.

At 14, she has been on pointe since the sixth grade. For a ballerina in training, moving up to pointe is a true right of passage; a special rite not many experience.

Ryland still remembers the day she got her first pair.

“It was so exciting! You had to make an appointment to be fitted with the right shoes. And even though we were living in (Providence, R.I.), I wanted to go to the Dancewear Studio in Hallowell.

“They were my Christmas present that year. We bought special wrapping paper for them at Rock-Paper-Scissors in Wiscasset. I love pointe — you feel so grown up and don't really think about how much more difficult it is,” Ryland said, smiling. “It's something you feel you've been waiting for for so long.”

Since then, she has had perhaps a dozen pointe shoes. Ryland went from slippers to pointe while living in Rhode Island, where she attended The East Side Ballet School of the Jump Dance Company. It was there, at the age of 11, that she moved up.

Ryland recalled her teacher there placed a lot of emphasis on improvisation and self-choreographing. Students performed in unusual places on sidewalks near restaurants and in parks, as well as on stage.

“I think that helped with my confidence and strengthening my love of the art,” Ryland said. “I love making art with my body.”

Her mother, Jennifer Matthews of Yarmouth, also sees her daughter's experience with the Jump Dance Company as a confidence booster.

“I think before Rhode Island, she liked to blend in more with the group. There she was forced to stand out in avant-garde performances in the city. I was proud of how bold she was in a public setting,” Matthews said.

Ryland has also studied with the Portland Ballet, dancing in the company's production of “A Victorian Nutcracker” as a Spanish dancer in 2012 and an Arabian dancer in 2013. In the fall of 2013 she was also studying at Elizabeth Drucker's The Ballet School in Topsham. For the last year, Ryland has been studying solely with a former New York City ballet dancer.

Ballet has long been perceived by some as being a “girlie girl” endeavor. Ryland said she never wanted to seem like one — a girlie girl. While watching other ballet dancers and observing how muscular their legs were she was struck by the realization that the dance form was anything but.

“It is so much more. It's not some whimsical thing. I want to help other people see that. It takes a lot of effort, discipline and hard work,” said Ryland, who attends classes six times per week. “And, each dance can be made your own, by telling a story through body movement, emotions and acting — it's your own interpretation.”

Ryland is currently rehearsing for The Ballet School's upcoming production, “L'Avenir,” at the Orion Performing Arts Center May 3-4.

Drucker said she fell in love with the music (by Philip Glass). As she listened, different movements reminded her of each of her seven advanced students, including Ryland.

Drucker said Ryland's solo piece reflects how cat-like the dancer's movements are, and shows her big, bouncy jumps.

Ryland interprets her upcoming dance as a story about belonging, yet being different and being OK with that.

And while she's the first to admit she doesn't listen to classical music outside the ballet class and performance, she finds the music helps her body move.

“It has a captivating element about it. It almost says more without words, and the story being told changes for everyone who listens to it,” said Ryland. “Pop musics’ lyrics tell you the story. Classical music doesn't limit the imagination that way. Not that I don't like pop music.”

All of the girls in Ryland's advanced dance class also attend four to six week summer camp programs. Ryland attended the Boston Ballet's five-week summer camp in 2012, and was accepted again this year.

Ryland and her friends in the advanced classes at The Ballet School are serious ballet students. Most of them plan to make a career of the ballet. Ryland, however, does not. An eighth grade North Yarmouth Academy student, Ryland said there are many other things she wants to do in her life. Just what those things will be, she doesn't know right now, beyond helping others.

“I love dancing and I love learning,” she said. “Dance has given me an appreciation for learning. Elizabeth had a very successful career and we respect her. She's giving us something no one else can give us. She cares about all of her students and takes us all seriously. I want to keep dancing all my life, but not as a career,” Ryland said. “I feel the competitive aspect of it would be hard .... I would want to be the best dancer and get really stressed out. I think I just want to help people.”

Drucker says that if Ryland wanted it, she could have a shot at a career.

“Ryland is a terrifically talented dancer. I'm pretty sure she has no idea just how talented she is. But she has many talents and many interests and I want to be supportive of all her endeavors,” Drucker said. “The very skills that make her such a good dancer (intelligence, sensitivity, determination) are the same qualities that make her so successful in her other pursuits.”

Ryland's Dad, Paul Rich of Edgecomb, is blown away by all of the nuances that are being fine tuned or corrected, and the physical and mental challenges of ballet.

“She's so inspired by the movement and challenge of it all,” Rich said. “It's a lot of persistence and hard work; ballet can be consuming. Seeing her on the stage is always a thrill, and seeing her smile at the end of a show — it's great.”

Ryland loves being on stage and believes ballet is a gift.

“It always feels so good and is so much fun. You're doing it for yourself and the audience. It's like we're filling the stage with energy.

“A dancer should be able to take people away from their daily lives, to become wrapped up in the movements of the dance and the story being told. It's this gift that everyone can enjoy.”