Luna Esmerode (she/her) began her serious dance training with Benicia Ballet in Benicia, California. During this time, she was given the opportunity to perform corps de ballet and principal roles in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Giselle, and Swan Lake. Luna also participated in the Royal Academy of Dance exams, achieving Distinction through Advanced II and performing in the Solo Seal competition. In 2018, Luna was a participant in the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, Bolshoi Way, where she studied ballet and Russian language at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy (МГАХ) in Moscow, Russia for six weeks. Luna graduated from the University of Utah in 2023 with a B.F.A. in Ballet, an Hon B.A. in English, and a minor in Russian. During her university career, Luna trained with and performed works choreographed by Pablo Piantino, Melissa Bobick, Cherylyn Lavagnino, Jay Kim, Christopher Alloways-Ramsey, and Rena Butler. Upon graduation, Luna was awarded the Ballet Program Senior award for Writing and Research. Luna is thrilled for her second season with New England Ballet Theatre.