Preparing for our annual Brew Brats and Ballet production is always exciting for all of us at SNB. This year we offer a smorgasbord of nine different choreographers representing the US East and West Coasts. Each choreographer has created a brand new, unique short work in a different dance style for this event.
Donna Salgado, an award winning choreographer from New York City, created a contemporary ballet sur les pointes for three SNB female dancers to the music of Antonio Vivaldi. Dancer Carlee Bertero loves performing Concerto Geloso: ” It is very challenging because the style is so unique, and it takes a lot of concentration and stamina.”
Sacramento based dancer/choreographer Alexander Biber has created works for both Sacramento Ballet and SNB. This year his contribution is the comic Biggest Little Ballet to the music of Johann Strauss II, created in celebration of Reno. In this piece SNB male dancer Arthur Reloj dons jeans and a cowboy hat to flirt with saloon maids. Biber laughs: “Arthur has the perfect sense of humor for this ballet.”
Reno’s Barbara Land has created a very eerie piece for a corps of women in long black dresses and veils. Unspoken Tales, to the music of Peter Gundry, is beautiful with a slightly “creepy” quality. When asked to describe the dancers in this piece, Barbara smiles mysteriously: “They are spirits. The rest is left to the interpretation of each member of the audience.”
Formerly from England, dancer/choreographer Oliver Adams has created a fabulous, fast paced toe-tapping, 1940’s style piece, Civilization, to the music of the Andrew Sisters and Danny Kay. This work is for 2 men and 3 women but every SNB dancer, including the young trainees, like to practice this piece because they claim it is such a “blast” to dance. Admittedly, Oliver’s creation is addicting and makes one want to get up and dance along with the cast.
Daniel Miller’s Mentis Chao ( Mental Chaos) to the music of Philip Glass and Jennifer Boyle August’s Umndeni ( Family) to the music of Stephen J. Anderson are both choreographed in a modern dance style but are completely different in feeling. Dan based his piece on an internal feeling of unrest. Jen based her choreography on her travel to South Africa. Watching Jen’s piece makes one feel as if traveling on an African safari. Jen’s family (through marriage) live in South Africa and this work is reminiscent of her time spent with them: “ In this work, I want to communicate the magnificent expanse of the country while sharing the intimacy of my family experience.”
New York interdisciplinary artist/director/choreographer Ananda Bena –Weber will be choreographing and directing SNB’s new steampunk full-length ballet version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream that will premiere this summer. Bena-Weber has two short works on the BBB program. She gives us a sneak preview of the summer production with a contemporary ballet excerpt of the Midsummer Fairies to the hypnotic music of Martin Denny. Additionally, Ananda has created a charmingly funny musical theater dance solo for SNB’s Dan Miller, Sway, to a Luiz Demetro song sung by Roesmary Clooney.
B-Boy, Cris Camacho, adds a very different performance element to the BBB program with Don’t Nobody Want None to the music of Tech Nine. Cris wanted to (as he states it) “Go artistic” and begins with a short poem that he wrote in a rap style which gives a brief introductory history of the hip hop culture. Cris finishes up with a short athletic dance using the basic elements of Breaking.
To round out a very varied program, I contribute The Pied Piper of America
to the original music of Susan Mazer and Dallas Smith. There is a joy and a lightness that is inherent in Americans that comes from the freedom within which we are raised and the pride we have in being part of a united country. With the present feeling of unrest and division in our country and all the stressful media reports that bombard us on a daily basis, I thought it a fitting time to remind ourselves that we live in a great country and that we are privileged to have a freedom of choice. My wish in this choreographic piece is to remind us how lucky we are to live in America. I am excited that the BBB program showcases choreographers from different areas of our wonderful united country.
Sierra Nevada Ballet performs Brew, Brats and Ballet in Reno at the Reno Little Theater on April 7 at 7:30 PM and April 8 at 2:00 PM and in Carson City at the Brewery Arts Center on April 15 at 4:00 PM. For ticket information, contact the venues or call SNB at 775-360-8663 or visit www.sierranevadaballet.org.
Alexander Cain Biber (Principal Dancer/ Ballet Master/ Choreographer in Residence/Teacher) grew up in a performing arts family and has loved theater and performing from an early age. He began his ballet training, at the age of 14, with Rosine Bena at Western Nevada Performing Arts Center – studying ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theater. In 2003, Alexander became an apprentice with Sierra Nevada Ballet and was promoted to the first company in 2006, to soloist in 2008, and to Principal in 2012.
Jennifer Lightfoot-Johnson (Grant Writer and Development Consultant) comes to SNB with 16 years of experience, both professionally and as a volunteer, in grant writing and working in the nonprofit sector.
Jennifer Boyle August (Guest Teacher/Choreographer) discovered her love of dance in Reno, Nev. During her time at Reno High School, Jennifer took a Modern class at TMCC, with instruction in Graham, Luigi, and Horton dance technique. While Jennifer was educated in other areas of dance, she felt these styles spoke to her more than anything else. After graduating from Reno High School, she moved to Boston to study dance with Joan Palladino at Dean College where she received her Associate’s Degree in Dance. She was then hand-selected by Judith Jamison to study at Alvin Ailey Summer Dance Intensive program in New York City.
Sara Weir (Demi Soloist) was born in Provo, Utah, and started ballet at age three. She trained in dance with Trisha Wilstead at Rocky Mountain Dance and then trained with Brittany Squires and Heather Gray at Jaquiline’s School of Ballet. She performed professionally with Showcase and Theater Ballet at Brigham Young University, Utah Regional Ballet, and Sacramento Ballet.
Carlee Bertero (Soloist/ Teacher) was born in northern Nevada and began studying dance at an early age at Fascinating Rhythm School of Performing Arts in Reno. Carlee was invited to join the Sierra Nevada Ballet Apprentice program in 2012; was raised to the first company in 2013; to featured corps member in 2016, to Demi-Soloist in 2017, and to Soloist in 2021. She has performed in many SNB story ballets such as Peanutcracker-The Story In A Nutshell, Giselle, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty-A Fairy’s Tale, A Midsummer Nights Dream- A Steam Punk Ballet, and Twelfth Night-A Ballet Noir. She has performed as a featured dancer with SNB annually in Dancing By The River as part of Reno’s Artown Festival and in SNB’s annual Brew Brats and Ballet in Reno and Carson City.
Domingo Rubio (Second Permanent Guest Artist/Guest Teacher) is SNB’s second Permanent Guest Artist as of May 2005. He has danced professionally for some 30 years. Domingo has danced with the Joffrey Ballet and Ballet Hispanico and was featured in the Robert Altman film, The Company. Rubio danced the role of Maxfield Parrish in SNB’s, A Painter’s Love Story and is a featured artist in SNB’s Dancing By the River and annual ballet classics.
Sam Weber (First Permanent Guest Artist/ Guest Teacher) is SNB’s first Permanent Guest Artist and is a founding member of the Company. He was one of the first permanent guest artists of The Reno Ballet under the direction of Rosine Bena. Weber danced with the Joffery Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Peninsula Ballet Theatre, and The Jazz Tap Ensemble. Besides being a fine ballet dancer, Weber is considered one of the greatest tap dancers in the world. He is known as “the fastest feet in tap.”
Gina Nelson (SNB Company Coordinator for Carson City and SNB Board Member) is originally from Napa Valley, Calif., and a long-time supporter of the arts and arts education. Gina worked as a crisis prevention specialist in a day treatment elementary school and was a counselor/teacher in a non-public school for at-risk boys.
Steven M. Porter (SNB Board President/SNB CEO) is a long-time devotee of the arts. Originally from the East Coast, Steve was raised with love and devotion to all the arts.
Cathy Mercer (SNB Company Coordinator for Reno/Managing Director/Board Member) grew up in Carson City and is a former dancer with a long-time devotion to the art form.
Ananda Bena-Weber (Associate Director, Dance Artist/ Ballerina/Principal/Teacher) is a principal dancer and NY award-winning artist and the Associate Director of the Sierra Nevada Ballet and a founding member. She has danced professionally as a soloist with the Reno Ballet when it was formed in 1994/95 and 1996. She danced with Perspectives Dance Theatre and Fascinating Rhythm Productions. She has appeared as a featured soloist with Sam Weber performing in Morton Gould’s “Concerto for Tap Dancer and Orchestra” throughout the SF Bay Area. She has appeared in principal roles in several original dance works such as Take Me To The River and Blue Rondo, and classics such as Les Sylphides, Romeo and Juliet, and Paquita.
Rosine Bena (Founder and Artistic Director/Master Teacher)
Sophia Riella (Trainee) was born in Truckee, Calif. She started ballet at the age of two with Sherrie Petersen, Sierra Ballet School and continued there for six years while also studying Irish and Scottish Dance with Lindsey Marccaci in Lake Tahoe and at Truckee Dance Factory doing competition dance. She has also studied classical music, composing, and piano with Elaine Courtney and has studied voice with Stephanie McMoy.
Erin Garman (First Year Company) began dancing at the age of 12 at Scene Stealers Theatre Arts where she trained in jazz, tap, lyrical, musical theatre, and ballet. She later began training with Fascinating Rhythm School of Performing Arts where she continued training in many styles and at Sierra Nevada Ballet Academy where she first met Rosine Bena, and started getting more serious about ballet, also dancing with Spiral Ballet.
Maya Macias (Trainee) was born in Houston, Texas into a military family. While her family was stationed in Memphis, Tennessee, at age two and a half years old, Maya began studying dance at the Children’s Ballet Theater because she wanted to go to “ballerina school. “ Maya continued her ballet training at Space Coast Ballet and when she was six years old, she began performing with Space Coast Ballet in the Nutcracker.
Olivia Mann (SNB Summer Demi Soloist) began studying at the age of four at Dallas Metropolitan Ballet, and the Dallas Ballet Center and later trained at Booker T. Washington for the Performing and Visual Arts.
Heather Rodriguez (Trainee) started dancing at nine years old in Corpus Christi, Texas. She continued studying Ballet, Contemporary, and Jazz throughout her childhood with Corpus Christi Concert Ballet.