A beautifully wrapped Christmas present sat under the Variety Club tree on the stage at the Edison Theatre on Dec. 17, and from it came a delightful production of The Nutcracker by the Missouri Ballet Theatre, full of love, warmth, beauty and grace.

A final performance is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Dec. 19.

The curtain rises on the Silberhaus family as it is celebrating Christmas. Herr Drosselmeyer, the godfather portrayed by the company's ballet master Robert Philander Valentine, arrives. A gifted toymaker, he presents some magical toys to all the children in the form of a soldier doll—portrayed by Jamal White, who danced strongly—and a Columbine doll, superbly performed by Jessica Ruhlin.

When Drosselmeyer presents a Nutcracker to Clara—played by Ashley Hamann, who danced lovingly—it becomes the hit of the party.

That night, as Clara sleeps, Drosselmeyer appears and sets into motion Clara's dream in which the Rat King and his horde appear to battle with the toy soldiers. With the Rat King defeated, the Nutcracker Prince takes Clara on a magical journey to The Kingdom of Snow and then the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Grace Austin gives the pivotal performance that is the dream of every young ballerina.

Ms. Austin is truly superb in the role. In her grand pas de deux, she is not given any ballet move that would draw attention to her, much as Ballanchine removed the gargouillade—a jump in which both feet write rings in the air—from the New York City Ballet's production and gave it to another character.

Instead, Ms. Austin's movements are soft, elegant and unhurried. Her smile is radiant with a warmth that shines throughout the kingdom and the audience, and her performance was exquisite. The goddess of everything sweet, Ms. Austin becomes the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Ms. Hamann is equally talented and a delight as Clara. She captures the excitement and nuance of a young girl and dances with the authority of a seasoned ballerina while maintaining her character. Her performance was beautiful to watch, fluid and graceful, but with the skill, training and presence to command the stage.

The primary male role is the Nutcracker Prince, and Jamal White is up to the task. He dances the pas de deux with both Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy. The lifts were performed without error, and White demonstrated a grace that was also athletic, more Baryshnikov than Nureyev.

Kudos to Valentine as Drosselmeyer. His stage presence compels the audience to watch him, and he intrigues the viewers with his mysteriousness as much as he does the party guests.

One of the positive aspects of The Nutcracker is that it provides many opportunities for company members to shine, and the dancers of Missouri Ballet Theatre take full advantage of these moments with members showing their immense skill and talent in turn.

Lauren Beasley and Katie Howland were gorgeous as roses, and Caitlin Helton and Lydia Phillips danced lushly in Spanish Chocolate. Likewise, Jenny Rice was spectacular in Arabian Coffee, and Jessica Ruhlin did a star turn in Chinese Tea. She shined whenever she appeared on the stage.

Beasley with Lauren Watts and Katie Gibbons made Italian Marzipan a show-stopper, and it was one of the best-performed dances all evening.

A special mention is due the youngsters in Russian Belochka—all gymnasts, tiny as your thumb—performing acrobatics, flipping with a confidence that contradicts their young age. Mikayla Baechle was one of the gymnasts, who was adorable in the role of young brother Fritz in Act. 1.

Many of the roles in The Nutcracker are alternated between dancers for subsequent performances, and Dexter Bishop—fine as Dr. Silberhaus the night I saw the show—will dance as the Nutcracker Prince on some afternoons and evenings.

For such a young ballet company—it is in their second season—there are bound to be some shortfalls. We must take care not to draw comparisons to larger organizations with better funding, but such comparisons are inevitable. The sets, for example, are not magnificent like one would expect from the Joffrey or Pacific Northwest Ballet. But the falling snow is wonderful, the costuming by Alun Jones is lovely and the dancers occupy the space with their talent.

Some dances were not as well synchronized as they might be, and more than one dancer fell out of a pirouette in less-than-stellar fashion. Also, I would have liked to see a little more creativity in the choreography by artistic director Adam Sage. It's not that it is devoid of wondrous imagery, just that it could have been more clever in some places, as with the Bolshoi's production in which Clara, propelled by her partner, flies across the stage. It's simple and stunning.

But this is nitpicking. Truth is, I had a huge smile on my face the entire evening. The children from Wildwood Dance and Arts were wonderful and funny—a pure joy—and the professional company is just that: professional, skilled and charming.

And they are beautiful, too.

The Missouri Ballet Theatre has presented a wonderful evening of ballet and holiday entertainment. And just as the children in the show, the up-and-coming company will continue to grow into its role as St. Louis' newest ballet company, presenting traditional ballet and contemporary works as well.

The Missouri Ballet Theatre is a tremendous asset to the St. Louis and Clayton arts scene and proves it with The Nutcracker.

The next performance by Missouri Ballet Theatre is "Concepts," at the Edison Theatre from March 11 – 12. For information and tickets, go to the Edison Theatre Web site or call 314-935-6543 or MetroTix, 314-534-1111. Or visit the MetroTix Web site. For more information, go to the Missouri Ballet Theatre Web site.