Rena has worked as a software engineer for over 15 years and is currently a technical product manager at Zillow. In addition, she has been a lifelong ballet dancer in the Orange County area. She danced professionally with the Anaheim Ballet, performing the Arabian Queen in their Nutcracker tour in Nevada and Southern California and dancing soloist roles in Hans Christian Andersen, Martini, Carnival of the Animals, and Balanchine’s Serenade.

Over the last decade she has been teaching ballet at schools throughout Southern California, including Jimmie Defore Dance Center, Anaheim Ballet School, Maple Conservatory, Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet, V&T Dance, and Laguna Dance Theatre. She has focused her teaching primarily on adult ballet, offering open classes to the community in a wide variety of levels from beginner to advanced. She loves passing down her knowledge and passion for ballet to her students, placing emphasis on artistry. During the covid pandemic, Rena began offering her classes complimentary to local professional dancers so that they could maintain their physical training during the difficult period of not having performance work. Through the SoCal Ballet Scene, she is able to continue offering this service to professional dancers.

Over decades of building connections with the ballet community in Southern California, Rena saw firsthand the abundance of great ballet talent that resides in this area. She also saw that there was a void of opportunity for the local professional dancers to perform and connect with the arts-loving community around them. This led her to found the SoCal Ballet Scene. In 2019 she started the organization on social media to help spread awareness about the various ballet companies in SoCal, with the goal of eventually creating a ballet festival to feature local artists and foster community. The plans for the festival got postponed with the onset of the pandemic, so Rena began producing short dance films as a means to provide opportunity for local choreographers and dancers. Rena's vision for the ballet festival was realized in September 2022. She directed and produced the festival performance at the Robert B Moore Theatre in Costa Mesa, featuring 34 professional dancers from across Southern California in a mixed repertoire program, showcasing a wide variety of styles from classical to contemporary ballet. The festival united many local ballet organizations in a single celebration of the artform, with over 550 people from the community who attended and were able to see and connect with the local ballet artists.

Tanya trained at the Pacific Northwest Ballet school on full scholarship in their year-round professional training division, as well as summer programs on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet in New York, Boston Ballet, and Joffrey Ballet. She was one of just 10 students nationwide to receive the Robert Joffrey scholarship.

Tanya danced professionally with the Los Angeles Ballet and afterwards pursued a freelance career, which gave her the freedom to work on numerous projects with famed choreographers around the world. She was chosen to dance with the New York City Ballet for the opening of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, formerly the Orange County Performing Arts Center. She has performed several ballets with both the New York City Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet, including Balanchine’s Stars & Stripes, Serenade, Mozartiana, Carmina Burana, and the Nutcracker. As a freelance artist, she has performed Principal roles for the Pacific Symphony, Long Beach Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Chicago, Inland Pacific Ballet, West Coast Ballet, and numerous awards festivals choreographed by Lorin Johnson and Marie de la Palme. Tanya is also Signed with Clear Talent Group Agency in LA and is a member of SAG AFTRA. She has been in national television commercials with Boeing, Target, Haagen-Dazs, and Merck, and she has danced in the films “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “17”, “The Perfect Game”, and “Bratz”.

As a sought-out choreographer, Tanya was commissioned personally by Carl St. Clair, music director of Pacific Symphony, to choreograph a special work for American composer George Crumb, which received high acclaim from the LA Times. She has also been appointed to create numerous works for the Pacific Symphony Concert series, Family Concert series, Summer Park Concerts, and their remarkable Arts X-press program. The Crystal Cathedral commissioned her to choreograph, cast, and direct professional dancers and singers for their productions The Glory of Christmas and The Glory of Easter. 

Tanya is also an accomplished Latin Ballroom dancer, having won a Champion title at Blackpool, England, the most prestigious ballroom competition in the world. She has gained a World Title, US National Title, and won several regional competitions, as well as been invited to perform for the elite Gaynor Fairweather cup in Rome alongside pro dancer Gleb Savchenko from Dancing with the Stars.

Tanya has over 2 decades of teaching and coaching experience at numerous ballet and ballroom schools throughout Southern California, including Jimmie Defore Dance Center, Maple Conservatory, Southland Ballet, Orange County High School of the Arts, Huntington Beach Academy of Dance, Pave School of the Arts, and Fred Astaire Dance Studios.

With over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Lana Devore is a highly accomplished creator, producer, and show director, with a focus on theme park entertainment. She began her career at Walt Disney Company in 1985, eventually becoming a Staff Show Director, overseeing various shows and special events during her 15-year tenure. In 2002, Lana joined Perfect Productions, working as Creative Director and Producer on events for Canon Inc. Since 2005, she has collaborated with Universal Studios Japan, directing a variety of shows and attractions, including those for Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Halloween Horror Night mazes. In 2014, Lana returned to Walt Disney Company as a consultant Show Director for special events. As the president of Devore Productions, LLC, Lana leads a unique production company specializing in corporate special events, with a particular emphasis on serving clients like BSH - Bosch, Thermador, Gaggeneu Brands. Her passion for the arts and expertise make her a sought-after professional in the industry.

With more than 10 significant, published opinions in favor of her clients, including successfully arguing before the Supreme Court, and an emphasis on environmental justice including significant involvement in the remediation and redevelopment of the Signal Hill oil field, Sanaz (Sunny) K. Soltani serves as the first female city attorney in Carson. She specializes in complex real property development. In her short tenure in Carson, she has played a significant role in reshaping the trajectory of the community, including negotiating a $45 million settlement against the largest oil refinery on the West Coast and has preserved the City of Carson’s rent control protecting the senior citizens of the community.

She is a founding member of the law Firm of Aleshire & Wynder, LLP, the youngest equity partner and the first female on the Firm’s management team. Sunny has been awarded the title of one of the “Woman of Influence” of Los Angeles County by the Los Angeles Business Journal “for exceptional legal skill and achievement across the full spectrum of responsibility, exemplary leadership as evidenced by the highest professional and ethical standards, and for contributions to the Los Angeles community at large.” In 2021, she led her team to victory in the dismissal of an $85 million action against her client brought by a nationwide developer related to a project valued at more than half-a-billion dollars. In addition to legal remedies, Soltani assists her clients with legislative solutions and has successfully secured the passage of several important legislative bills significantly improving the regulatory position of her clients.

Sunny began taking ballet classes in her adult life and has loved being a part of the local ballet community. In 2023 she co-produced and wrote a full-length ballet production called The White Feather, which tells the story of the women's fight for freedom in Iran. The production has had sold-out performances in both OC and LA.

Brenda Erlinger brings to the SoCal Ballet Scene board a rich and multi-disciplinary background in international educational development. Her work primarily focuses on girls' education and innovative approaches to teaching and learning in marginalized communities in Pakistan. Edtech-powered programs she has designed and led have resulted in significant, measurable growth in learning outcomes for thousands of children and have been recognized by UNESCO, USAID, the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), the World Literacy Summit, and other notable organizations. She holds an M.A. in International Development from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, as well as a multiple subject teaching credential.

In 2019, Brenda rediscovered the joy of ballet after a hiatus spanning the better part of 25 years. Having experienced firsthand the transformative power of ballet, she is a firm believer in the art-form’s potential to positively impact individuals and communities.

Growing up in the Bay Area, Alina began her dance journey by training and competing in jazz and tap. When she was 10, her love for dance shifted to classical ballet which then became the sole focus of her training, studying at Ballet Petit and Oakland Ballet Academy. Some of her favorite ballet memories include performing the role of Marie in Oakland Ballet's Nutcracker under founding Artistic Director Ronn Guidi and training at the Bartholin International Ballet Seminar at the Royal Danish Ballet Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark. After her high school graduation, Alina inadvertently took a 10 year hiatus from dancing, during which time she studied Sociology at UC Berkeley, pursued a career in Marketing and Market Research, began dabbling in graphic design, got married and started a family. As she began itching to get back in ballet shoes, Alina is so thankful to have been introduced to Rena—loving her classes and now the wonderful opportunity to serve on the SoCal Ballet Scene board with her.

Karen brings a wealth of administrative, financial and organizational experience to SoCal Ballet Scene. She worked for 20 years for a group of financial advisors providing all levels of support. She currently works part time as the bookkeeper and administrator for another non-profit, Do For One Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to students in Mexico. Her first love, however, is ballet. Karen grew up in Whittier, California, and started her ballet training when she was 8 years old. She took all the Cecchetti exams, from primary through advanced levels, and considers them foundational in her ballet training and technique. She then went to UC Irvine, where she graduated with her BFA in Dance. When not dancing or subbing ballet classes, Karen enjoys working on jigsaw puzzles, reading, ice hockey (Go Ducks!), traveling with her husband, and spending time with her three adult sons and four grandkids.

Teresa began studying ballet with Lois Ellyn at the age of five and continued her training with Charles Maple at Maple Conservatory of Dance performing with Maple Youth Ballet and later with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Teresa has had the opportunity to dance in works by George Balanchine, Terrence S. Orr of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Charles Maple, Rex Wheeler, Lois Ellyn, Sheree King, and Scott Anderson. She is currently dancing with Nouveau Chamber Ballet and teaches ballet at Lois Ellyn Ballet Studio.

Christine began dancing at the age of four and studied with Lois Ellyn for over 20 years. She has appeared in various Nouveau Chamber Ballet productions, including soloist roles in The Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf, and Pas de Quatre. In 2001, she traveled to Fukui, Japan with Nouveau Chamber Ballet to perform Appalachian Spring. Christine is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor's Degree in Arts and Humanities with a Minor in Digital Arts. After graduating, she worked in Fashion and Marketing, where her digital media work was used by fashion retailers, publications, and live events, including Fashion Week in Miami. Her creative journey has evolved in recent years, with costume design and management which complements her lifelong passion for ballet.

Following a career that spanned more than 40 years, Candice retired from a corporate executive position in 2021. Candice’s career includes working for four governmental agencies and one publicly traded company. Among her numerous responsibilities were creating, developing and executing small and large scale events including music festivals, parades, beauty pageants and major holiday celebrations. Candice’s strengths include vision, forward planning, leadership, and communication, as well as developing and fostering positive and collaborative relationships with community organizations.

Outside of her corporate career, Candice trained as a dancer in ballet, jazz, ballroom and disco. Her experience includes serving as the Dance Program Supervisor for the City of Anaheim and was honored to have been selected as a professional cheerleader entertainer for the Los Angeles Rams for three consecutive years. Candice holds and Associate Arts degree in dance, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Dance. She has been a ballet and jazz instructor for dancers ages 3 through adult and has choreographed numerous pieces for dance studio annual performances and galas.