Esme trained at the Royal Academy of Dance Headquarters in Battersea, the London Junior Ballet, and later vocationally with Richard Slaughter, whose vast background of experience as a dancer, choreographer and teacher gave her a firm foundation in the Italian 'Cecchetti' technique. She began performing on stage at the age of 14, and went on to become a founding member of The Ballet Pod, with whom she has toured and performed many roles.