“Write what you know.” While still a teenager, Lin-Manuel Miranda took that advice to heart.

Long before he became a sensation as creator of “Hamilton” and Disney’s songwriter of choice, Miranda was a sophomore at Connecticut’s Wesleyan University. That’s where he wrote a musical called “In the Heights,” a portrait of a primarily Latin American New York City neighborhood tucked up against the one in which Miranda grew up. It went on to become one of Broadway’s great Cinderella stories, winning the 2008 Tony for “Best Musical.”

And it’s easy to see why “In the Heights” was seen as so fresh and revolutionary, based upon local company Artistry’s exhilarating, high-energy production of this musical.

Artistry has assembled an avidly committed cast featuring many of the Twin Cities’ most accomplished Latin American theater artists and a marvelously versatile eight-piece band. Together, they make Miranda’s music a thrilling combination of Latin jazz and hip-hop and splendidly execute the flurry of flying, hip-shaking movement that is Abby Magalee’s choreography. Yes, there’s a story, too, but director Maija García wisely never lets it intrude too much on the production’s exceptional singing, pulse-quickening full-cast dance numbers and intensely proud cultural celebrations.

As the Twin Cities leaves behind a winter in which so many locals of Latin American descent went underground during the fear-inducing federal immigration crackdown — from which damaged businesses still struggle to recover — Artistry’s “In the Heights” serves as a welcome reminder that Latin American culture has been indelibly stitched into the American fabric for several generations.

But it also bears the earmarks of an inexperienced writer, for it’s more a set of character sketches than a story. No fewer than 11 individuals queue up to sing of their experiences and aspirations, but no central conflict emerges in this slice-of-life musical, save for a college student losing her scholarship and a bodega, hair salon and taxi service all contemplating closure. There’s also romance afoot, but nothing in which an audience is likely to feel deeply invested, for our attention is diffused by the quantity of stories being presented.

That said, Artistry’s staging features multiple memorable performances, even if the characters are rather thinly drawn. Andrés-Román Wood ably captures the edgy easterner as our skillfully rapping narrator, a role Miranda wrote for himself. And Raquel Ponce displays a voice full of power and sweetness as conflicted college dropout Nina, complemented well by Pedro R. Bayón as her tough-but-tender father, Chris Owusu as her love interest and Jen Santoro Rotty as the village matriarch.

Kudos are also due Pierce Brown and Julia Diaz for taking relatively minor characters and making them magnetic with their attitude and energy. But the chief revelation might be Janely Rodriguez, who has impressed in multiple Children’s Theatre Company productions, but who knew she was a theatrical “triple threat” who can dance up a storm and sing the house down?

While there were some balance issues on opening night — a musical that carries so much exposition in song requires clearly understandable lyrics — that will likely be remedied as the production progresses. And all will be forgiven whenever Miranda’s infectious cumbia, merengue and bachata rhythms set the cast to dancing.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.