Davida Rae, President
Davida Rae is CEO and President of ChoreoNova’s Board of Directors. She has conceived, planned, directed, and produced 23 previous art events, including a full-length show and multiple dance films. She has interfaced pre- and post-production with venue management, production staff, equipment providers, and music publishers (for licensing) on these projects. She has also developed artwork and advertising in conjunction with graphic designers. As CEO, she manages day-to-day company operations. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a B.S. in Physics, she has been awarded six competitive research grants from applications she either wrote entirely or co-wrote. She trained in basic business management as part of her fashion design degree at The Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, as well as in statistical analysis via her physics research. She gained experience measuring, reporting, and presenting outcomes from six separate research internships that spanned variable terms from several months to one year. She also took three design internships (one in web development and two in fashion design) that involved project management and managed a residential property for seven years.
Rona Sayetta, Director
Rona Sayetta serves as CFO for the company and also sits on its board. She has assisted in the conception, planning, direction, and costuming of seven previous art events, including the full-length show and multiple dance films. She holds five advanced degrees, including an M.D. and a Master’s in Governmental Administration. Her 10-year federal government career included supervising a research branch of the National Center for Health Statistics and initiating and running several collaborative projects. She has extensive experience with writing scientific grants, including measuring, reporting, and presenting their outcomes. She has published 23 journal articles, a book, and a doctoral dissertation synopsis involving original research and statistical analysis. Now a retired physician, she owned and operated a successful psychiatry practice, as well as a silk floral design firm in Boca Raton, FL, for a decade. She is presently writing her memoir.
Kenneth Nickel, Director
A Pittsburgh native, Kenneth Nickel has danced with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, and Dallas Ballet Company as principal. He has since served as: Artistic Director for Cyber and Performing Arts Academy of Ambridge Area High School, Ballet Orlando, and La Roche College's Performing Arts Program, and Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School's Ballet Master. He founded several festivals including: the Royal Dance Festival in Orlando; Fete de la Danse at La Roche; and most recently, Dances at a Gathering in the greater Pittsburgh metro area. He established a B.A. for Performing Arts in Dance at La Roche College in 1996 and while there also developed a public school dance arts program, Resource Education Arts Development for Youths (R.E.A.D.Y.) Ken then joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty (2000-2003), where he designed and helped implement a B.A. in Dance. Most recently, he has created an A.A. in Dance Education at the Community College of Beaver County, so that dancers can begin to earn college credit during their last two years of high school. He has received the Madison Award from Who’s Who in America, the Dictionary of Distinguished Leadership in the Arts Community Award, etc. In his spare time, he volunteers for the Bradford Woods Rapid Intervention Crew, rescuing firefighters who get trapped in burning buildings. Ken is presently forming a new performing arts charter school in Allegheny County, PA
Nicolas Petrov, Director
Nicolas Petrov is an internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and artistic director with more than 50 years of experience. A graduate of the Yugoslavian State Academy with a degree in dance, he has danced with Opera Ballet of Belgrade, Ballet de France, and Theatre D'Art du Ballet as First Dancer. He became the leading dancer for Leonide Massine, performing with Milorad Miskovitch, Duska Sifnios, Paolo Bortoluzzi, and Carla Fracci. He went on to dance, choreograph, and produce for the French television station ORTF. Concurrently, he worked with Massine in ballets such as The Nutcracker, The Three-Cornered Hat, Beau Danube, and La Boutique Fantasque. In addition, he formed his own dance company, Ballet Petrov, which toured throughout Europe. In 1967, he took over the direction and development of the Pittsburgh Playhouse Ballet Department and subsequently launched the dance program at Point Park University. He simultaneously launched the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, where he served as Co-Artistic Director for the next 10 years. He has choreographed more than 100 ballets, including eight full-length productions. He is now retired.