Valentine’s Day is the customary celebration of love and romance in many regions of the world, and so I thought it fitting to share a love story that began with a dance, blossomed through dance and, I like to think, ended in a dance – if it has ever ended at all.
Anne Capozzi and Edward Bena fell in love on the dance floor. It was 1948 and Anne’s 16th birthday. Anne and her date, Billy Karpinsky, double-dated with Eddy Bena and his date. Ed and Bill were good friends, but Anne and Eddy had never met.
Anne found herself wanting to use the restroom which was across a very crowded dance floor. There appeared no way to get across the floor easily so Eddy offered to dance Anne across the floor. Two hours later Anne and Ed’s dates went in search of the pair only to find them still dancing.
Anne was in between dance gigs and studying ballet with Madam Tarasova and Alfredo Corvino in New York City. Eddy was recently out of the Navy and also studying ballet on the GI Bill with the hopes of becoming a professional ballroom dancer.
For the next two years they danced together socially and occasionally on the same stage when Anne was performing as a member of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet and Ed was hired as an “extra” in the dance scenes.
They married in 1950. Anne opened her own ballet studio, and Ed took on several jobs to make ends meet, including painting. (He was a talented visual artist). I was born in 1951.
Mom was always a stickler for a proper way to begin a dance. She would always say: “The man must offer his hand to the lady, and the lady must lift her hand up – wrist first and let her fingers float down softly as she places her hand in his.”
My parents danced together socially often, but I only saw them actually perform together on stage once. It was in a beautiful ballet pas de deux (a ballet term meaning “step of two”) that my mother choreographed to the music of Rachmanioff: “Rhapsody On A Theme of Paganini” (the 18th variation). I was only three years old, but I remember it as an amazingly beautiful piece, and I was so excited that I screamed out proudly from the audience: “That’s my Mommy!”
My parents each shared their love of dance with me. My Mom was a very knowledgeable and artistic master ballet teacher, and my Dad was an amazing partner in ballet pas de deux and in ballroom. (I do not think I would have ever danced professionally were it not for my love of pas de deux which I got from my Dad).
In 1963 we moved from New Jersey to Washington D.C. so that I could attend the Academy of the Washington School of Ballet (WSB). My mother eventually became the Assistant Director of WSB.
In 1970 my parents purchased Peninsula Ballet Theatre School and moved to the SF Bay Area. Together they built an amazing, internationally known ballet school and created a professional ballet company that was reviewed as comparable to San Francisco Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. My mother directed the company, and my Dad was stage manager and designed many of the sets for the productions. I joined them there in 1972.
I retired from the stage in 1991, and my parents danced together for the last time in public at that Gala performance banquet in October. My Dad passed away in January of 1993, and I remember the family being left alone with Dad’s coffin to say our goodbyes. My Mom reached out into the air and lifted her hand “wrist up and fingers floating down” and placed her arms as if she were dancing with a partner and she appeared to dance once again with my Dad.
My mom never remarried, as she remained in love with my Dad the rest of her life. She passed away in 2008, and my daughter and I had the honor of being at her side. She had been quite ill with cancer and was in the hospital in Redwood City. She was unconscious, eyes closed and struggling to breathe. We knew she would not last long. Suddenly her breathing became normal and she opened her eyes. My daughter and I thought that she suddenly had recovered and looked on in amazement. She sat up as if she saw someone ahead of her and then she lifted up her hand “wrist first and fingers floating down” and then her spirit passed. I like to think she went to dance with my Dad.
In this time of social distancing, touching is something to be cherished. On this day devoted to celebrating romance, I hope that you are able to enjoy a dance with your loved one.
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.