Ballet Pacifica has begun reconstruction of a...

Ballet Pacifica has begun reconstruction of a rented industrial facility in Irvine to house its new ballet conservatory, slated to open Sept. 25. The 13,000-square-foot building at 1824 Kaiser Ave. also will roughly triple the company’s rehearsal space, according to artistic director Molly Lynch. It will include three studios, dressing rooms, costume and scenery storage areas and offices. Move-in costs are estimated at $200,000 which, Lynch says, will be covered by donations and an insurance settlement the troupe received after the Laguna Beach fire destroyed its warehouse in 1993. The school will have a formalized curriculum and is envisioned as a comprehensive conservatory, designed to groom professional dancers from the age of 8. Moving into the new building will mean abandoning the Laguna Beach home where Ballet Pacifica was founded 33 years ago (and closing the offices it has maintained in Costa Mesa for five years). However, performances at Laguna’s Festival Forum Theatre will continue.

Compiled by Ken Williams