About

Alec Roth is originally from Milwaukee Wisconsin, where he received his initial training from Milwaukee Ballet School. He went on to further his training with Boston Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, and American Dance Center in Kansas City.

As a professional, Alec danced with Colorado Ballet, Minnesota Ballet, De La Dance Company, and Ballet San Antonio among others before joining Mareck Dance. His classical repertoire is extensive, performing in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Coppelia, La Sylphide, and Flower Festival. In addition to his classical repertoire Mr. Roth has performed the works of many contemporary choreographers including Mark Diamond, Salvatore Aiello, Jean Pierre Bonnefoux, Michael Pink, Deanna Carter, Bruce Steivel, Brian Enos, Sean Aaron Carmon, Karen Mareck Grundy, Colby Damon, Kristopher Estes-Brown, and Edwaard Liang.

In addition to his work as a dancer Alec has also spent time creating work as a choreographer.  His first works were created on the students of American Dance Center, later progressing to work with professional dancers at Bay Pointe Ballet and Mareck Dance. Alec enjoys exploring the different movement qualities of dancers often with a comedic flair.

Mr. Roth is excited to share his knowledge with new generations of dancers and uses his classical background along with his experience in contemporary dance to provide a well-rounded dance education to his students.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Sophia Myers began her training at the Cincinnati Ballet Academy where she had the opportunity to perform in numerous productions with the company. She received additional training from the School for Creative and Performing Arts in downtown Cincinnati where she graduated top of her class.

After high school Sophia joined Louisville Ballet as a trainee under artistic director Bruce Simpson. There she enjoyed teaching for the Louisville Ballet School where she taught Creative Movement through Pre-Ballet for both the school year and the summer program. Sophia then continued on as a professional dancer and teacher with Ballet Quad Cities for two seasons where she was able to expand her contemporary dance experience by working with choreographers such as Brian Enos and Dominic Walsh. After Ballet Quad Cities, Myers spent a season with Bay Pointe Ballet in the San Francisco Bay Area while teaching for many local studios.

Following Bay Pointe Ballet, she then joined de la Dance Company under Meridith Benson and Mario de la Nuez performing in roles such as the Sylph in La Sylphide, Swanilda in Coppelia, and Giselle in Giselle. While in Cincinnati, she also received extensive training to teach the Gyrotonic Expansion System, which has been instrumental in her dancing and teaching. The last four seasons of Sophia's career she danced with Ballet San Antonio where she had the pleasure of dancing roles such as Cupid in Don Quixote, and Lead Harlot in Romeo and Juliet. For the past two seasons Sophia had the pleasure of being the Rehearsal Director for Mareck Dance, working closely with professional dancers in Columbia. Sophia is very excited to bring both her knowledge and talents to Columbia Ballet Academy

Kailey’s dance journey began in Osage Beach, Missouri, and continued to flourish right here in Columbia through her training at Columbia Performing Arts Center and Mareck Center for Dance. With a strong foundation in ballet, jazz, and contemporary, she developed into a versatile performer and passionate educator.

As a member of Mareck Center for Dance’s Youth Ensemble, Kailey danced in featured classical roles and originated contemporary works. Her performance credits include soloist roles and whimsical characters like the Lobster and Courtier in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She also served as a Company Apprentice with City Ballet Theater, performing multiple soloist roles as well as choreographing and teaching for the school.

Kailey brings over a decade of experience as a dance educator, having taught ballet, jazz, contemporary, creative movement—and most importantly, adaptive dance. In her role as DanceAbility Coordinator, Kailey fosters a welcoming, inclusive environment where every dancer is empowered to express themselves, grow, and feel supported.

Lillian has been a vibrant part of Mid-Missouri’s dance community since the age of three. She began her training in a variety of styles at a local studio and later continued at Mareck Center for Dance, studying under esteemed instructors like Caitlin Sloan, Kay Whitney, and Fernando Rodriguez. During her time as a student, she performed in Peter and the Wolf, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and competed at Youth America Grand Prix.

Her choreographic talent was recognized early—her piece Of Graves and Sleeping Babes was selected for performance by the Youth Ensemble at St. Louis National Dance Week in 2019. She’s also expanded her training through intensive programs such as the Kansas City Jazz Dance Intensive and JUMP Dance Convention.

After high school, Lillian deepened her involvement in the dance world as both an educator and choreographer. She served as a company artist and resident choreographer with City Ballet Theater, and most recently taught at Mareck Center for Dance before joining us at Columbia Ballet Academy.

Lillian is passionate about helping students grow both technically and artistically, encouraging each dancer to discover their own creative voice.

Gabrielle Johnson grew up in Omaha, Neb., where she trained and performed with the Omaha Theater Ballet. She has performed works by Trisha Brown, Sidra Bell, and Harrison McEldowney. She holds a BFA from the Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet program with Dominican University, and received her Master’s in dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her choreographic work has been presented at APAP NYC, JCC Manhattan, Gibney Dance, Triskellion Arts, Peridance Capezio Center, and SMUSH Gallery. As an experienced yoga and meditation teacher, and as someone in eating disorder recovery, Gabrielle is interested in creating mental health support structures for professional dancers and students.

Eva’s dance journey began at just 3 years old in a creative movement class, and since then she’s brought her artistry and passion to every stage she’s stepped on.  From performing in Peter and the Wolf, The Nutcracker, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, to competing at Youth America Grand Prix and even co-choreographing the mice scene in The Nutcracker, Eva’s love for dance shines through her creativity and dedication.

She has trained with Mareck Center for Dance, City Ballet Theater, and The Dance Academy—performing in favorites like Carmina Burana and Cinderella. With four years of assistant teaching experience, plus her work with DanceAbility and DanceReach at the Boys & Girls Club, Eva is just as passionate about inspiring others as she is about performing. 

This fall, she’ll begin her advanced training at Columbia Ballet Academy while stepping into her new role as a creative movement teacher.

Emily grew up dancing in St. Joseph, MO at The Dance Arts Center under Marla Heeler, training in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and musical theater, and assistant teaching in the Beyond Dance program at the studio, for students with physical and intellectual disabilities. She was also involved in community and high school theater productions, both as a performer and choreographer. Since 2015, she has spent one weekend every summer volunteering at Camp Courage in Stewartsville, MO, a fun camp for adults with intellectual disabilities. She graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in Economics, Statistics, and Political Science and is currently working as a data analyst for political and nonprofit fundraising. She started dancing again after college in St. Louis, taking classes from Resilience Dance Company and St. Louis Dance Theatre, and is now excited to be teaching students in the DanceAbility program while continuing to train.