This year has been a very different year for everyone in the world. For many of us our usual family holiday traditions can not happen due to COVID.
In December Sierra Nevada Ballet traditionally performs The Peanutcarcker- The Story In A Nutshell at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in Reno and at The Carson City Community Center for thousands of audience members (at least 4,000 of whom are children). When we realized that we could not present this production “live” for children this year, we put our heads together to figure out what we could do for the community and the thousands of children who would not get to share the special Peanutcracker event. That was the start of what would become: The Peanutcracker Project 2020.
“We typically host about 3,000 young school children each year at the Pioneer for the Peanutcracker. It’s such a special tradition, and one that means so much to the students and teachers in our community.” said Dennyse Sewell, Executive Director of the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. “We were thrilled when Sierra Nevada Ballet proposed a way to adapt this tradition safely during the pandemic.” This project is designed as a special two segment virtual presentation for schools and families with young children. The first segment features a “behind the scenes” look at the creation of Peanutcracker and the second segment is the actual filmed 2019 Peanutcracker performance at the Pioneer Center. “We are very excited for the opportunity to give kids a glimpse of our backstage areas and some of the theater ‘magic’ that goes into live performance,” said Pioneer Center Events Director Devenney Leijon. “This project gave us the chance to feature our amazing Technical Director, Italo Crocco, explaining what happens behind the scenes with these kinds of productions.”
This entertaining yet educational project explains the art of ballet and what is involved in creating a live ballet production, from the training and rehearsals in the ballet studio to the preparation at the theater and includes interviews with dancers, leading children and some of the backstage crew at the Pioneer Center. The filming and editing was done by Lyric Burt and Taylor Wilson of TL Solutions. Lyric said: “We hope that we have been able to capture on film the hard work and dedication that the SNB company members and Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts puts into bringing the Peanutcracker to our community each year.” In this virtual presentation, technical Director Italo Croco explains what is involved in putting up a back drop, while SNB Lighting Director, Gary Guberman, explains how he creates the different stage moods by changing the colors of the lights. “I became a lighting designer because I love working with different colors to create a mood.“ Gary said. “For instance, blue can give a sad mood while red can be happy when combined with some yellow or scary when used by itself.”
SNB has collaborated with the Pioneer Center to produce this special production and is offering it for free to the community on the Pioneer’s You Tube Channel thanks to sponsors including the City of Reno, the E. L. Cord Foundation, the Wayne L. Prim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Nevada Arts Council and the Marin Foundation. “The year has certainly created unprecedented challenges for everyone, including students, teachers, and families,” said Pioneer Center Outreach Manager Breana Edgerton. “This video presentation of The Peanutcracker enables Sierra Nevada Ballet and the Pioneer Center to work together to bring educational and entertaining holiday programming directly to families in their homes, at no cost.”
December has been special for SNB collaborating with the Pioneer Center on this production and with the City of Reno awarding $45, 000.00 to 34 individual dance artists in our community through the City of Reno grant to individual artists.
2020 was a very challenging year for all of us but still a year that has been filled with innovation and rewarding experiences. We are so lucky to live in such a special community.
Stay safe, and Happy Holidays northern Nevada!!!
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.