Rena Nishijima

Communications Associate, San Francisco Ballet

Unlike many of her peers who dreamed of dancing in pointe shoes, Rena Nishijima never even considered dancing until her mother forced her to take dance class because she had bad posture. Eventually, it became a lifelong passion for her, and she is now devoted to the arts through her job at SF Ballet and other volunteer projects.

Rena is a Bay Area native who received her B.F.A. in Dance Performance and B.A. in Public Relations & Advertising from Chapman University. It was there where she discovered the possibility of pursuing dance from the business side. She began looking for a job in arts administration following graduation, and luckily her experience landed her a position at Segerstrom Center for the Arts (formerly Orange County Performing Arts Center).

In her free time, Rena volunteers at the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco as a tutor for kids ages 14-17. Prior to that, she volunteered at The Wooden Floor, an organization in Orange County that works with low-income kids through academic assistance and a modern dance program. She chose both these organizations specifically because it values the performing arts and healthy living. Rena also continues to take ballet and contemporary dance classes whenever possible in order to fuel her passion.