Ananda Bena-Weber
Associate Artistic Director, Dance Artist/Ballerina/Principal/Teacher
Ananda Bena-Weber 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.
Ms. Bena-Weber has performed acting, singing, and dancing featured roles in over 30 theater productions in the East and West coasts including the SF Bay Area and New York City. A gifted choreographer, she has choreographed several works for the professional ballet company, Sierra Nevada Ballet, and others. Bena-Weber is a Magna cum Laude graduate of San Francisco State University; attended Columbia University Masters Program in Drama and has a Masters of Fine Art from Goddard University and has studied acting at the Linkleter Center in New York City. She has taught at Mary Mount College and guest teaches all levels of ballet and related dance classes and acting (without words) throughout the U.S.
She has performed leading acting roles with Nevada Shakespeare Company and in several NY productions and she presently stars in the NY award-winning one-woman performance art piece, Fancifool which opened its touring schedule in June of 2015 in San Francisco at Z Space and continues to tour the US. Ananda has been featured as a Principal dancer with the Sierra Nevada Ballet company since 2001. In addition to SNB, Ananda has performed as a featured member of the Jazz Tap Ensemble.
Alexander Cain Biber
Choreographer in Residence/Teacher
Alexander Cain Biber 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.
He performed internationally for the Tasmanian Classical Ballet and later joined the Sacramento Ballet where he was featured in many of the company’s most iconic repertoire, including The Nutcracker, Carmina Burana, Romeo & Juliet, Dracula, The Great Gatsby, Twyla Tharp’s, Nine Sinatra Songs, Trey McIntyre’s, Second Before The Ground, Lila York’s Celts and George Balanchine’s, Theme and Variations, Serenade, Western Symphony and Who Cares.
During his tenure with the Sacramento Ballet, Alexander continued to perform with Sierra Nevada Ballet, performing lead roles in many classic ballets such as Swan Lake and Midsummer Nights Dream. A talented choreographer, Biber has choreographed numerous works for Sierra Nevada Ballet, the Capital Dance Project, and Sacramento Ballet. He joined the SNB staff as Ballet Master and teacher in 2020 and continues to teach and choreograph as well as act as the SNB Company photographer. Recently Alexander choreographed Heart Beat to Heart Beat Eye to Eye (The Reno Song) as a part of the empty stage event in Reno.
Jennifer Lightfoot-Johnson
Board President, Grant Writer, and Development Consultant
Jennifer Lightfoot-Johnson comes to SNB with 16 years of experience, both professionally and as a volunteer, in grant writing and working in the nonprofit sector.
Prior to her work with SNB, Jennifer served as the Program Director for the non-profit organization AppleSeeds and served as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) for the District Court of Douglas County, Nev. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno in Human Development and Family Studies.
Additionally, Jennifer utilizes her talents in sewing to design and create costumes for SNB productions and serves as a costume assistant and dresser during SNB performances.
Board or Directors
Steven M. Porter
SNB Board President Emeritus/SNB CEO
Steven M. Porter is a long-time devotee of the arts. Originally from the East Coast, Steve was raised with love and devotion to all the arts.
Steve met Rosine Bena ( then Artistic Director of the Reno Ballet, Perspectives Dance Theater, and Peninsula Ballet Theater School) in 1998 and began to watch performances that Bena produced in the SF Bay area. He fell in love with the art form of ballet and in 2000, Steve and Rosine (together with a group of devoted ballet lovers) began to assemble a board with the help of ballet master teacher/artistic director, Anne Bena.
Instead of reestablishing The Reno Ballet, the Board elected to start Sierra Nevada Ballet as the professional Ballet company for all of northern Nevada.
Through Steve’s excellent production experience, amazing management skills, never-ending hard work, determination, expert leadership, and devotion to the arts and to arts education, Sierra Nevada Ballet has become part of the cultural identity of northern Nevada. Steve was a founding Board member for the Doral Academy of northern Nevada and was instrumental in establishing the SNB/Doral Academy Ballet program.
Gina Nelson
SNB Company Coordinator for Carson City and SNB Board Member
Gina Nelson 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.
She moved to Nevada in 2006. Gina met Rosine Bena when her daughter, Lily, began to study ballet and immediately became attracted to the arts educational outreach that SNB does. Gina volunteered to help coordinate the outreach program in the public schools in Carson City, Nev., and soon after joined the SNB Board in 2013. Gina now officially acts as the SNB Educational Outreach Coordinator for Carson City.
Manuel Calderón de la Barca Sánchez
SNB Board Member, Photographer, Videographer, Web, Social Media helper.
Manuel Calderón de la Barca is from Mexico City. He is a nuclear physics professor at UC Davis.
He supports SNB through taking photographs and video of performances, which can then be used as promotional materials online and in print.
Other Board Members
Joe Lesar, Board Member
Nancy Ghusn, Board Member
Jennifer Lightfoot-Johnson, Board Memeber
Jayson Weir, Board Member
Alisanne Maffei, Board Member
Manuel Calderon de la Barca Sanchez, Board Member
Nathan Rockwell, Board Member
Adela Clara, Advisory Board
Stewart Chiefet, Advisory Board