DATE December 11-14, 2026 LOCATION Edison Theatre Everyone’s favorite holiday classic, reimagined to take place right here, at the St. Louis 1904 World’s Fair! 26/27 Season Subscription OVERVIEW Clara and her sisters eagerly prepare for bed on Christmas Eve. After discovering a special walnut trinket, the family is reminded of the magical Toymaker they met at The World’s Fair. Share in their journey as Clara, Louisa, and Marie dance through a dream filled with familiar sights, sweets, and sounds. What more surprises await on Christmas morning? Ballet 314 brings St. Louis’ favorite historical event and everyone’s most treasured holiday classic together in this unique re-telling of “The Nutcracker & the 1904 World’s Fair.” Based on the original story by E.T.A. Hoffman, re-imagined as “The Nutcracker & The World’s Fair” by Rachel Bodi & Robert Poe. PERFORMANCE DETAILS Sensory Friendly Morning Performance Evening & Matinee Performances with ASL Interpretations Run Time: Approx. 90 minutes with one 15-minute intermission TICKETS $45 for Adults | $30 for Senior/Student/Artist/WashU Staff | Groups of 20+ $25/each Sensory Friendly Performance $20 for Individual Tickets | Groups start at $7 ⚠️ Buyer Beware! Tickets purchased through the Washington University Box Office or online via AudienceView (also known as OvationTix) are the only approved tickets for this event. Purchases made through a third-party vendor such as StubHub, Ticketmaster, or MetroTix will NOT be valid for entry to the Theater. Single Tickets On Sale in Fall '26 Group Reservations On Sale In Fall '26 CLARA'S PICNIC A family favorite experience! After the show*, join the Sugarplum Doll and her friends for a special meet and greet and picnic refreshments fit for a day at the World's Fair. Every Clara's Picnic also includes a Nutcracker boutique coupon. Cost: $15 add on *Offered following Saturday and Sunday 1:00pm Performances. SENSORY FRIENDLY PERFORMANCES Designed for guests of all abilities, featuring live full length audio description by Mind's Eye, dimmed lights, moderate sound, and an interactive intermission.

Jamila Scales 3rd season with Ballet 314 Jamila Scales began her dancing career at the young age of 6 years old performing in an elementary showcase in St. Louis; from this experience, she knew at the age of 6 dancing would be her career. Jamila went on to join Judy Best Dance & Talent Center competition team. While on this team she learned the fundamentals to many dance styles such as Ballet, Jazz, Pom Poms, and Hip Hop. Jamila danced with The Judy Best Talent Center for 12 years, during which she honed in on and polished her skill and talent. Once she became familiar with and mastered the basics, Jamila went on to Stephens College to foster more skills and embrace styles and specializations such as Ballet, Pointe, Modern Dance, Jump Rhythm Jazz, Synthetic Theater, and Musical Theater. Upon the completion of the previously mentioned styles and specialities, Jamila received her BFA degree in Dance from Stephens College in 2017. Return

Lauren (Wren) Hood 1st season with Ballet 314 Lauren (Wren) Hood was born in Santa Cruz, California, and began her training at age five with teachers Diane Cypher and Robert Kelly at the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, “The Studio of Classical Ballet”. She also studied with Linda Lock, Edward Ellison, Peter Boal, Susan Bryant, Carrie West Suslov, and Maria Torija. She attended Ellison Ballet School intensives in New York, New York, three years in a row from 2013-2015 under the direction of Edward Ellison. Wren also trained in Seattle, Washington, with the Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2016 and in Houston, Texas, with the Houston Ballet in 2018. She participated in Regional Dance America from 2010-2017 and received Scholarships and Awards for her choreography at The Ballet Alliance in 2023. Wren left Ballet for five years and returned in 2024, where she trained in Columbus, Ohio, with BalletMet. She starts the 2025-2026 season as one of the newest company members of Ballet314 in Saint Louis, Missouri Return

Samuel Lawson 3rd season with Ballet 314 Sammy began his dance training in the Spring of 2020, graduating from Southeast Missouri State University in 2023 with a BSE in Secondary Education and minors in Dance and Music. During his time at SEMO, Sammy performed works by Alyssa Alger, Philip Edgecombe, Hilary Peterson, and Fernando Bujoñes while training in ballet, modern, aerial, and partnering. He started his professional career as a guest company member with Ballet 314 (2022-2024) performing as the Sugar Plum Cavalier, and in original works by Marcela Gómez Lugo and director Robert Poe. Additionally, Sammy was accepted as a trainee by the St. Louis Dance Theater for the 2023/2024 season where he performed under the direction of Brandon Fink, performing works by Maggie Dueker, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Emmi Small, Robert Poe, Leonides Arpon, Yuka Oba-Muschiana, and original works by Brandon Fink. Sammy was offered a contract by the Whirlwind Dance Company where he performed rep by Joshua Manculich, Hannah Brixton, Johnson Litzler & Cody Szarko, Jules Rizzo, and Yinqi Wei & Maggie Liang. He's excited to return to the stage with Ballet 314! Return

AUDITIONS 26/27 Company Auditions Ballet 314 is not actively accepting audition applications for the 26/27 season. Any materials received will be kept on file for future consideration. While candidates are not guaranteed a response from the Artistic Director, we appreciate your interest in Ballet 314. General details about Ballet 314: listed for future reference - Ballet 314 has no 26/27 company positions available Ballet 314 is non-profit professional dance company. We look for classically and modern trained artists of all body types and gender expressions who excel at storytelling with a heart to serve the community. Keeping with our mission to showcase local talent, we actively seek dancers of color to help us more fully represent the spectrum of St Louis. Ballet 314 offers Resident Artists main stage and community performance opportunities between the months of August - June. Resident Artists are expected to participate in company class and rehearse 4 days per week. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with our company! Looking for local performance opportunities? Visit the Nutcracker Community Cast page for more information about our annual "The Nutcracker and The World's Fair" community auditions.

Alice Anders Production Manager Alice Anders began her technical theatre career while obtaining her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Dance from Southeast Missouri State University. There she studied lighting design for theatre and dance while working as a theatre electrician under faculty designer Christopher Haug. Upon graduation she relocated to St. Louis to dance as a trainee for Saint Louis Dance Theatre, while also teaching dance, and freelancing in lighting design and stage management. Alice is thrilled to return for her fourth season working with Resilience and second year as their Technical Director. In the greater STL dance community, Alice also serves as the Production Manager for Ballet 314, is an instructor and choreographer for the Belleville School of Ballet, and Lighting Solutions Specialist for Echo Electric. Return

CONTACT Address Email 331 N. New Ballas Rd. P.O. Box 37032 St. Louis, MO 63141 support@ballet314.org Phone Number 314-669-5191 Do you wish to attend open company class? Email support@ballet314.org to receive access to our open class portal. You can also contact us by using this form: First Name Last Name Email Subject Leave us a message... Submit We will be in touch shortly! SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER Enter your email here Subscribe Thanks for subscribing!

Laura Roth 2nd season with Ballet 314 Laura, a native of Jacksonville, IL, started her career dancing with contemporary dance companies in St. Louis--four seasons with Common Thread Contemporary Dance Company and two seasons with Leverage Dance Theater. Throughout that time and continuing since, she has performed in and/or choreographed for freelance projects, working with Space Station Dance Residency, Masterworks Chorale, Spare Parts Dance Company, Washington University Master's students Mariko Kumanomido and Leah Korn, and more. She has also independently produced two dance concerts: To Fill Your Cup (2021) and ALONE TIME (2024). Laura teaches ballet and choreographs musicals at Gateway Center for Performing Arts and holds a BA in Dance from Southeast Missouri State University. Return

DANCER WELLNESS INITIATIVE Join us in fostering a healthier dance community! Ballet 314 is teaming up with Athletico, Clayton Chiropractic and Restore to provide specialized athlete-specific physical therapy, chiropractic care, mental health and nutritional coaching for our company dancers. Your donation helps prioritize the mental and physical well-being of our talented professional dancers. Learn More Learn More Learn More

Rachel Bodi Executive Director rachel@ballet314.org Biography Rachel Bodi is the co-founder and Executive Director at Ballet 314, and also a dance educator as adjunct faculty of dance at Missouri Baptist University, and pre-professional instructor of dance at Devine Performing Arts. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Rachel trained at the Ballet Academy of Pittsburgh and pre-professional intensives (School of American Ballet, Chautauqua, Nashville Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theater- presently Charlotte Ballet), eventually launching her professional career in 2008. She has enjoyed performing and teaching in the St. Louis region for the past 14 years. Prior to founding Ballet 314 alongside Robert Poe, she enjoyed careers with Missouri Ballet Theatre (2011-2017), Common Thread Contemporary Ballet (2018), and Nashville Ballet 2 (2008-2011). She has appeared as a guest artist with Texture Contemporary Ballet (2011, 2012) and Winter Opera St. Louis (dancer, choreographer 2022, 2023, 2024). In addition to the Executive Director role at Ballet 314, Rachel performs as a Resident Artist, and acts as the company's Education Director. She has commissioned both full length classical and contemporary works for Ballet 314 including: co-writing and producing "The Nutcracker & the World's Fair," and her newest classical ballet work "Astra Planeta." Original educational dance programs include "Assemblé," "Fiona Flamingo," "llama llama & friends," and co-choreographing and adapting "Chocolat," a bilingual Spanish/English story ballet. Additional choreographic credits include collaborations with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (Dance Party!, Wild Symphony, A Zoo Called Earth, Howl at Powell), Sheldon Concert Hall (Dance the Story: Sleeping Beauty, Dance the Story: The Nutcracker & the World's Fair), St. Louis Art Museum (Monet/Mitchell), and Winter Opera St. Louis (Holiday Extravaganza, The Gondaliers, Naughty Marietta). Rachel has choreographed pre-professional recitals, competitive, and concert dance works in her roles on staff at MBU and DPA. Additional performance credits include Jenny Drugg in "The Ride" independent film. (est. 2026 release). Through founding Ballet 314, Rachel aspires to continue fostering a deeper sense of community both within our organization and in the arts community as a whole, and to continue to provide accessible, inclusive, and diverse arts education programming. Back to Leadership

CORPS DE BALLET 314 Corps de Ballet 314 is an adult ballet performance ensemble dedicated to showcasing talented adult performers from across the St. Louis region. APPLICATIONS FOR 25/26 SEASON CLOSED FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS CONTACT US What is Corps de Ballet 314? In collaboration with Ballet 314's professional company, performers in Corps de Ballet 314 will have the opportunity to perform and train alongside the professional company as well as in their own performance opportunities for Ballet 314's 10-month season (August 2025 through May, 2026). The intention of Corps de Ballet 314 is to work in tandem with, but not to be a feeder to the professional company. Rather, Corps de Ballet 314 will continue to operate as its' own entity with opportunities throughout the season to perform alongside the professional company. What is the application process? Fill out the online application. Select applicants will be asked to interview with Artistic & Executive Directors in order to continue with the invitation process. Following interviews, dancers will be selected and issued a letter of understanding further detailing the responsibilities and mission of the program. When is this program held? Corps de Ballet 314 members would train with Ballet 314's professional company with options to participate in classes and rehearsals based on scheduling. Weekday class options with the professional company are held between 10:30-2:00 Tuesday-Friday, and Sunday participation will be scheduled with only Corps de Ballet 314 between 11:30-2:00pm. What is the cost to participate? Expected tuition would be a rate of $200 per month over a 10-month season, and will be able to be divided to monthly or quarterly installments. Corps de Ballet 314 dancers are responsible for their day to day dance wear, shoes for rehearsal and performance, and any other performance needs like makeup and tights. What does tuition include? Tuition would provide: unlimited access to Ballet 314 company classes, with 2 required per week; costuming, rehearsal, and choreography fees for all performances; access to have a professional photo and headshot for the season, and streaming video access for performances that the dancer is cast. Corps de Ballet 314 dancers would be responsible for their day to day dance wear, shoes for rehearsal and performance, and any other performance needs like makeup and tights. What does tuition cost? This program is tuition-based, with a limited number of spots for our inaugural season. There will be 2 options for commitment: 2 Day (Weekday + Sunday) Class and Rehearsals, or Sunday-Only Class and Rehearsals. Expected tuition would be: 2-Day Membership: $200/month over a 10-month season; paid by monthly or yearly installments. 1-Day Membership: $100/month over a 10-month season; paid by monthly or yearly installments. What repertoire will we perform? Corps de Ballet 314 would have 2 performance opportunities in the upcoming 25-26 season: The Nutcracker & the World's Fair in December, and WIP 314 (choreography project) in May, 2026. Corps de Ballet 314 dancers would work on this repertoire both in tandem with the professional company and also in their own class and rehearsal. Leadership Maura Caldwell-Thompson Corps de Ballet 314 Director Biography maura@ballet314.org

Isabella (Bella) Schmitt 1st season with Ballet 314 Isabella (Bella) Schmitt grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and began dancing at the age of 4. In 2020, she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance from Point Park University. While in the conservatory, Schmitt trained under professors such as Jae Man Joo, Jesse Factor, Kiesha Lalama, and Susan Stowe. Her artistry and dedication at school allowed her to work with choreographers such as Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Twyla Tharp, and Yoshiaki Nakano, among others. Closing out her senior year, she had the opportunity to perform as the “Jumping Girl” soloist in George Balanchine’s Who Cares?. Before and during her time in college, Bella invested many hours performing in fundraisers in her hometown. She helped support local charities and businesses while performing for events such as the CARTI Festival of Fashion, Wardrobe Wednesday, and “Thriller” at the Little Rock Zoo, all in collaboration with Allison Stodola Wilson at Shuffles and Ballet II. Following her college graduation in 2024, she joined Saint Louis Dance Theatre (previously The Big Muddy Dance Company) as a trainee and explored contemporary and experimental movement. Bella is thrilled to be her first season with Ballet 314. Return