Thanks to her talent and discipline, Mazatlán-born dancer Esmeralda Herrejón Guzmán is shaping a career aimed at becoming a soloist with major ballet companies in Mexico and around the world. This summer, she participated in the intensive program at the prestigious Milwaukee Ballet School; at the course’s conclusion, the institution awarded her a scholarship to continue her studies at their facilities.
Upon returning to Mazatlán, the 16-year-old dancer—a student at the Municipal Classical Ballet School of the Municipal Center for the Arts (CMA)—shared her experience. She proudly highlighted the knowledge she gained, noting that her instructors selected her to perform two solos during the showcase galas—one in classical ballet and another in African dance—an honor achieved by few participants.
During the five-week training period, Esmeralda was mentored by prominent figures in the international dance world, including renowned choreographer Parker Brasser-Vos; Kristin Dimmer, Director of the Milwaukee Ballet School; Davit Hovhannisyan, Director of the Milwaukee Ballet’s second company; and Luz San Miguel, a former dancer with companies such as the Atlanta Ballet and England’s Northern Ballet.
“It means a lot to me because I am learning from the best and broadening my horizons; it was a wonderful experience. I learned so much—not just about ballet, but in other areas and on a personal level, as well as in preparing to step onto the stage. It was very significant because it changed my lifestyle,” the dancer from Mazatlán explained.
Her Journey to Milwaukee
The path to the United States began in March with an audition in Mexico City. Esmeralda applied to and was accepted—with scholarship offers—by the Victoria Ballet Academy (Canada), the Bolshoi Ballet Academy (Russia), and the Milwaukee Ballet School (USA); she chose the latter for its rigorous pre-professional intensive program. The curriculum included physical conditioning, Pilates, classical ballet, pointe work, *pas de deux*, contemporary dance, flamenco, musical theater, modern dance, hip-hop, character dance, and African dance. Additionally, live musicians accompanied every class to refine the dancers’ sense of hearing and rhythm.
Her group consisted of around 20 dancers, mostly women from renowned academies such as the Cincinnati Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, San Diego Ballet, and the Royal Ballet.
“The amount I learned was amazing; first of all, I learned other techniques—such as Vaganova, Balanchine, and Cecchetti—that could serve me well in the future as a professional dancer. My teacher, Parker Brasser-Vos, selected me to dance the solo in his choreography ‘Things Long Past’; it was thrilling,” she noted.
Esmeralda expressed her gratitude to her CMA instructors for their support and encouragement, as well as to her family, a fundamental pillar in her training.
“My dream is to be a principal dancer—satisfied, content, and happy. I couldn’t really say where, but as long as I am a professional principal dancer—content, satisfied, happy, and above all, fulfilled—that would be more than enough for me,” the dancer concluded.
Institutional and Family Recognition
For Ana Paola Villegas Loaiza, the CMA’s Classical Ballet Coordinator, Esmeralda’s achievement is a source of pride and a testament to the institution’s quality of training.
“Having our students recognized outside the CMA is a tribute to the hard work of the students themselves, their families, and the teaching staff. It fills me with pride, but it also drives me to continue working with even greater rigor and responsibility, ensuring that every student possesses the technical, artistic, and personal tools to keep progressing,” said Villegas Loaiza. For her part, Esmeralda Guzmán, the dancer’s mother, highlighted her daughter’s vocation from an early age and emphasized that her discipline and perseverance would keep her at an optimal level to conquer the stage.
