Directors

Former professional ballerina, Rosine Bena, has graced stages in performances worldwide for 28 years and received critical acclaim as a “Prima” for dancing principal roles in ballets such as Giselle, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliet, Coppelia, La Fille Mal Gardee and many contemporary works by choreographers such as John Cranko, Jiri Kylian and many others.  She danced professionally with the Stuttgart Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Peninsula Ballet Theatre and has performed as guest artist with several US companies.  Rosine lives in Genoa, Nevada, and is the Artistic Director of the professional ballet company for Northern Nevada, the Sierra Nevada Ballet.

In her early years, Rosine trained at the Washington School of Ballet with Mary Day, Anne Bena and staff. Other ballet teachers include David Howard, Alan Beale and Maggie Black.  In later years, Rosine studied the Mensendieck System of Functional Exercises with physical therapist, Michael Keropian, in San Francisco.

Ms. Bena is the former Director of Peninsula Ballet Theatre School in California (internationally known for it’s fine ballet training), former Arts Education Specialist for the Arts Council of San Mateo County, former director of the Reno Ballet, Perspectives Dance Theatre and the Kollage Community School for The Arts Dance Program, serving 8,000 students in the SF Bay Area.  Rosine has choreographed over 30 professional productions and numerous community theater events. In addition to her duties as SNB artistic director, Bena is the Director of Ballet for In Motion Studio in Reno and Western Nevada Performing Arts Center in Carson City.

Ms. Bena has been a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science for nine years and received a standing ovation at their conference in Spain in 2001 for her work on Injury Prevention in Dance. The recipient of numerous grant awards, she was also awarded the title of “Outstanding Individual Artist for 1992″ by the Arts Council of San Mateo County and she has been honored by Congress and the CA. State Legislature for her work in the arts; at Kennedy Center and the White House by the Clintons as a Washington School of Ballet graduate, and in Who’s Who in America in the category of Outstanding Americans.  Ms. Bena continues to guest teach and lecture on dance throughout the USA and Europe.

Rosine Bena is fully certified to teach all levels of the American Ballet Theatre National Ballet Curriculum and, as one of 60 master ballet teachers in the world to be fully certified, has been invited to act as a national ambassador for the ABT curriculum.  Bena was recently invited to join the staff of American Ballet Theatre and will teach at two of five ABT national ballet intensive workshops in the summer of 2010.

Tami Castillo Shelton has been a professional dancer and stage performer, choreographer, theatrical director, arts educator and arts administrator for the past 25 years. Tami has also been the Executive Director and Managing Artistic Director for established and emerging professional Dance and Theater companies in the NW region. Her artistic work has been commissioned nationally and internationally by many festivals, colleges, universities, dance and theater groups as well as the Portland Rose Festival Association, the Bumbershoot Arts Festival in Seattle, WA and the TenPass Dance Series in Manhattan, NY. As a performer she has had the privilege to work with many acclaimed choreographers and directors such as Danny Lewis of Juilliard and Donald McKayle of the Alvin Ailey Company and collaborated in performance with many wonderful artists such as pianist Tom Grant. She has been on the faculty of Portland State University as an Associate Professor, the faculties of Lewis and Clark, Linfield, Clark, and Mt. Hood Community Colleges , Oregon Ballet Theater, and a guest instructor to many Oregon and Washington High School Musical Theater programs, Professional Dance Studios, Performing Arts Academies and Magnet Schools for the Arts. She also was employed as a financial principal and manager in banking and investments for Citgroup working for individuals and corporations.  She is currently the Executive Director for Sierra Nevada Ballet; a Kennedy Center trained Residency Artist, and a teaching artist with Sierra Arts.