STAFF & BOARD

ROSINE BENA, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Rosine Bena, Artistic Director

Founder and Artistic Director of Sierra Nevada Ballet in 2001, Rosine Bena was a professional ballerina who danced throughout the U.S. and Europe with the Stuttgart Ballet, The Washington Ballet, and Peninsula Ballet Theatre.

She received critical acclaim as a “Prima” for principal roles in ballets such as Giselle, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliet, Coppelia, La Fille Mal Gardee, and contemporary works by choreographers such as John Cranko, Jiri Kylian and many others. In addition to guest performing with various ballet companies, Bena danced opposite Patrick DuPond of the Paris Opera in the movie, She Dances Alone.

CHOREOGRAPHER,
DIRECTOR

  • Choreographed and directed over 60 professional productions and numerous non-professional productions.
  • Choreography has been favorably compared to the works of George Balanchine, John Cranko, Kurt Joos and Michael Smuin.
  • Current guest teacher and choreographer throughout the U.S. and Europe.
  • Awarded an Endowment from the Sierra Arts Foundation and a Fellowship from The Nevada State Arts Council in 2008 for outstanding artistic work as a choreographer and director in Northern Nevada.
12th Night - Ballet Noir
SNB brings choreographers from East and West US for Brew, Brats and Ballet

INSTRUCTOR,
MASTER TEACHER

  • Member of Advisory Committee for the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) National Training Curriculum. One of the first 60 Master Teachers in the world to be fully certified to teach all levels of the ABT National Training Ballet Curriculum and act as an ABT Ambassador.
  • ABT staff member starting in 2010, teaching two of its five national ballet summer programs.
  • Guest master teacher for the Regional Dance America (RDA) Ballet Festivals and was elected as RDA Adjudicator for the national festival in 2012 and as Adjudicator for the Pacific Region in 2013.
  • A long-standing presenting member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science and ballet teacher instructing injury prevention throughout the U.S. and Europe.

AWARDS,
ACCOLADES

  • Honored as an “Outstanding Individual Artist 1992” by the San Mateo County Arts Council and acknowledged by the U.S. Congress and the California State Legislature for her work in the arts.
  • Recipient of numerous grant awards, including three Challenge America Awards from the National Endowment For The Arts the SNB holiday classic, Peanutcracker – The Story In A Nutshell.
  • Academy of the Washington School of Ballet alumna honored in the category of “Outstanding Americans” at the Kennedy Center, the White House by the Clintons, and in Who’s Who in America.
  • Writes a monthly column on dance for the Reno Gazette-Journal.

SIERRA NEVADA BALLET STAFF

ANANDA BENA-WEBER

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

About Ananda

Katrin Wilde

Company & Academy Administrator

Alexander Biber

Adult Ballet Program

About Alexander

Jennifer Lightfoot-Johnson

Grant Writer and Development Consultant

About Jennifer

SIERRA NEVADA BALLET BOARD

Steve Porter

President/Treasurer

About Steve

Gina Nelson

Board Member

About Gina

Barbara Land

Advisory Board

About Barbara

Joe Lesar, Board Member (Acting V.P.)

Lina Tanner, Board Member

Nancy Ghusn, Board Member

Jennifer Lightfoot-Johnson, Board Memeber

Cathy Trachok, Board Member

Jayson Weir, Board Member

Alisanne Maffei, Board Member

Adela Clara, Advisory Board

Stewart Chiefet, Advisory Board