A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Ava Snyder trained from a young age under the direction of Juliette Henning. During these years, she performed in both classical and contemporary works. Ava also originated the role of the matchgirl in Henning's The Little Matchgirl. In 2024, she joined Milwaukee Ballet's Pre-Professional Program under Tatiana Jouravel-Malinkine. Performance highlights from her time there include Diana and Actaeon and featured roles in Sleeping Beauty and Don Quixote. In Milwaukee, she had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Bri Lucey, Sloan Logsdon, and Dawn Springer, and also performed as a guest artist in Kerensa DeMars' Flamenco Nutcracker. She is excited to join Central Illinois Ballet as an apprentice and share her love of dance with the community.