Sierra Nevada Ballet Brings Top Dancers to Reno During Artown

Published July 18, 2025

Sierra Nevada Ballet Brings Top Dancers to Reno During Artown

Excitement is brewing at Sierra Nevada Ballet as the company prepares to open the hilarious full-length story ballet 12th Night - A Ballet Noir for the Artown Festival. This work is choreographed by SNB Principal/Associate Artistic Director Ananda Bena-Weber, and is based on the popular Shakespeare comedy about Viola and Sebastian – twins who are separated in a ship wreck and find themselves washed up on shore in a foreign land. The story includes several important, memorable characters who get involved in a comic love triangle and a hilarious subplot making it totally appropriate for slapstick comedic mime and superb artistic athletics by a number of featured star dancers.

Filer image element — Hikari Jacobson and Juan Magacho in SNB's Sleeping Beauty. Photo courtesy SNB.

SNB’s Ananda Bena-Weber, Anthony McMenamy, and Sara Weir will be joined by five top dancers from out of state: Malachi Squires, Domingo Rubio, Jacob Brooks, Juan Magacho, and Hikari Jacobson.

Bena-Weber chose to bring top dancers to perform this original work because it requires not only dancers who are technically proficient but who are able to tell a story by using their bodies dramatically and romantically, and who are able to use mime in a comedic manner that results in hilarious antics.

Malachi Squires travels to SNB from Chicago to perform the role of Orsino. Squires trained at the Houston Ballet Academy and Marin Dance Theater, and has professionally performed nationally and internationally with numerous companies including: Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet, Lawrence Pech Dance Company, Lyric Opera Chicago, the Goodman Theater, the Harris Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, RPM Productions, Madison Ballet, Ballet Quad Cities, Chicago Civic Ballet and Marin Dance Theater, to name only a few.

Bena-Weber first met Squires when she invited him to SNB to create the role of Count Dracula in her original production of Dracula: The Ballet in 2023 (repeated in 2024).

“Malachi has that measured amount of refined elegance combined with a real masculine sensuality that makes him perfect for the role of Orsino,” said Bena-Weber.

Jacob Brooks also comes from Chicago to dance the roles of the Sea Captain and Antonio. Jacob began his dance training at the Chicago Academy for the Arts and has danced professionally with numerous companies including Gus Giordano Dance, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Ballet Chicago, Chicago Festival Ballet, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Madison Ballet, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, San Diego Opera, and more. Bena-Weber wanted a dancer with dramatic depth to play the role of Antonio, and Brooks was recommended by Malachi Squires.

“I have worked with Jacob for a number of years and find him to be a strong dancer capable of performing beautifully both technically and artistically,” said Malachi.

Domingo Rubio comes to Reno from Mexico City each year to perform with SNB. Rubio is internationally acclaimed and one of SNB’s most popular performers. This summer he performs the role of Malvolio, which he first created in SNB’s premiere of the 12th Night ballet in 2019. Domingo has danced professionally for some 30 years with many, many professional ballet companies including the famous Joffrey Ballet and Ballet Hispanico. Rubio was featured in the Robert Altman film, The Company. The role of Malvolio requires a supreme artist; one who can make you laugh hysterically one minute and then tragically move you to tears the next. Bena-Weber said, “Domingo is the perfect Malvolio.”

Fool Feste is one of my personal favorite characters in 12th Night. Bena-Weber has created funny, entertaining choreography for this sweetheart of a clown hired to bring joy to the sad Lady Olivia who has been in mourning for seven years. Juan Magacho has the lighthearted personality that suits this role. Juan is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and started classical ballet at age 17 at Escola Estadual de Danças Maria Olenewa and Grupo Cultural de Dança Ilha. He danced professionally with Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Atlantic City Ballet, Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Ballet22, and San Jose Dance Theatre.

SNB’s popular Anthony McMenamy dances the romantic role of Sebastian, and Bena-Weber portrays the female disguised as a male, Viola/Cesario, with Sara Weir as the Lady Olivia. The popular Hikari Jacobson returns to SNB from Colorado and will perform as a featured Tango dancer partnering with her husband Juan Malacho and as the assistant secretary to Lady Olivia. Also featured in three comic roles are: Anneliese Welsh as the crazy secretary, Maria; Davie Johnson as the fun-loving partying Sir Toby Belch, and Madeline Lee as the romantically delusional Sir Andrew Aguecheck.

This highly entertaining yarn with brilliant choreography by Ananda Bena-Weber to the music of the 1930s and 40s is brought to life by a cast of 40 with a film noir twist. It is a featured Artown production not to be missed.

12th Night – A Ballet Noir will be performed on July 26 at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in Reno; July 28th at the Sand Harbor Warren Trepp Amphitheater at Lake Tahoe, and August 2 at the Carson City Community Center. For tickets visit sierranevadaballet.org or call 775-360-8663