La Esmerelda is based on the story more commonly known as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and is set to beautiful music by Cesare Pugni. It gives us great joy to not only share this ballet with our students, but also introduce our audience to all that it takes to bring a performance of live ballet to life.

This innovative program mixes dance performance, lecture, and demonstration to educate children and adults alike about everything that goes into a performing arts production. Presented by Artistic Director Nell Shipman and the dancers of the Portland School of Ballet, Building Ballets will walk the audience through the process of creating and performing a ballet. This will include choreography, set design, lighting, and more!