Tiit Helimets
Artistic Director

Tiit Helimets is an internationally acclaimed ballet artist, choreographer, and artistic leader with a distinguished career spanning more than 27 years. Born in Estonia and trained in the Vaganova tradition, he began his professional career with the Estonian National Ballet, where he was promoted to Principal Dancer in his first season. He went on to perform as a principal with Birmingham Royal Ballet and later with San Francisco Ballet, where he spent nearly two decades as a leading artist.

Celebrated for his refined technique, musicality, and commanding stage presence, Helimets has performed a vast repertoire of principal roles in works by Helgi Tomasson, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Kenneth MacMillan, Frederick Ashton, David Bintley, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, and Alexei Ratmansky, among others. His artistry has been recognized with numerous honors, including an Isadora Duncan Dance Award and Estonia’s Culture Capital Award.

In parallel with his performance career, Helimets has built a significant body of work as a choreographer, répétiteur, and creative leader. His choreographic projects include a full-length reimagining of Giselle for Oregon Ballet Theatre, as well as original works created for Estonian National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School, and film. He has staged and coached internationally for companies including Houston Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and Oregon Ballet Theatre, and has collaborated closely with leading choreographers such as Yuri Possokhov. His recent work includes the European staging of Nureyev, marking a notable expansion of his international creative presence.

Beyond the stage, Helimets has been an advocate for cultural evolution within ballet. As Co-Lead of San Francisco Ballet’s Inclusion Advisory Group, he helped guide institutional initiatives in equity, education, and inclusive programming. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he conceived and produced Sequentia, a collaborative dance film uniting artists from major American companies—an example of his commitment to innovation, connection, and expanding the reach of the art form.

Grounded in classical tradition yet driven by a forward-looking vision, Tiit Helimets continues to shape the future of ballet through artistic excellence, mentorship, and a deep belief in the transformative power of dance.

Kiera Anderson, Ed.D
Executive Director

Kiera Anderson, Ed.D. serves as Executive Director of Sacramento Ballet, bringing more than two decades of leadership experience at the intersection of arts, education, and nonprofit impact. Kiera brings an artist’s perspective to executive leadership, shaped by a career dedicated to advancing access, excellence, and sustainability in the arts.

Kiera’s career spans senior leadership roles in arts education, youth development, and community-based nonprofits, where she has led organizational growth, strategic planning, fundraising, and large-scale partnerships. Most recently, she served as Director of Advancement for PRO Youth, where she oversaw fund development, communications, corporate partnerships, and government relations while helping scale innovative mental wellness and collective impact initiatives. With a passion for outreach, Kiera provided operational and community engagement support with the DEA Educational Foundation, ensuring access to arts programming for thousands of youth nationwide. An educator at heart, Kiera has taught dance, theatre, and music in schools, community organizations, and studio settings, following a performing career in New York and regional theatres across the country. 

Kiera holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Master of Education, and a Doctorate in Leadership and Innovation. She is passionate about ensuring that ballet remains both artistically excellent and accessible, reflective of the community it serves, and positioned for long-term sustainability. As Executive Director, she is honored to steward Sacramento Ballet’s legacy while leading the organization into its next chapter of artistic and organizational vitality.

Stefan Calka
Rehearsal Director

Stefan Calka received his formal dance training at Indiana University under the legendary Violette Verdy, whose mentorship deeply shaped his artistry and lifelong commitment to the craft.

He began his career with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal, touring internationally and serving as assistant répétiteur for John Clifford, staging George Balanchine ballets for both the Kirov and Bolshoi Ballets during the International Balanchine Centennial Celebration. He also toured China, performing in Clifford’s Casablanca at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.

In 2004, Stefan joined the Sacramento Ballet, where he enjoyed a distinguished 16-year career as a Company Artist. He danced leading roles including Prince Désiré (The Sleeping Beauty), Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake), Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), Count Dracula (Dracula), and Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby), as well as featured roles in Carmina Burana. He was also a principal in works by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Trey McIntyre, Lila York, Septime Webre, Amy Seiwert, Matthew Neenan, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Ma Cong, Jodie Gates, Edwaard Liang, and Adam Hougland, among others.

Alongside his performance career, Stefan developed a distinct choreographic voice and aesthetic. He created works for Sacramento Ballet’s Modern Masters series and the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, and choreographed for film projects including the feature Ukrainian Dance Movie directed by Roxy Toporowych. He also appeared in Toporowych’s documentary Folk! and in PBS’s Sugarplum Dreams: Staging the Nutcracker Ballet. He continues to choreograph and teach master classes nationwide.

A founding member of Capital Dance Project, Stefan has been a driving force in Sacramento’s arts scene, collaborating with local artists and musicians to create innovative new works. For over a decade, he has also served as teacher, ballet master, and choreographer for the Roma Pryma Bohachevsky Summer Dance Workshop, mentoring aspiring pre-professional dancers.

Since retiring from the stage in 2020, Stefan has served as Rehearsal Director for the Sacramento Ballet. In this role he works closely with choreographers, stages and maintains repertoire, oversees rehearsals and production planning, and mentors dancers through the creative process, continuing his lifelong dedication to the art of ballet.

Vitor LuizInterim
Second Company Director

Vitor Luiz is a Brazilian ballet artist, principal dancer, guest performer, choreographer, and educator whose international career has spanned major stages across Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Known for his musicality, dramatic presence, and refined classical technique, he has performed leading roles across much of the classical ballet repertoire as well as contemporary works by many of today’s leading choreographers.

Luiz danced for ten seasons as a Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet (2009–2019), performing works by some of the most influential choreographers in ballet, including George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky, Yuri Possokhov, Liam Scarlett, Val Caniparoli, Alonzo King, Jiří Bubeníček, and Helgi Tomasson. Earlier in his career he was a Soloist and Principal Dancer with the Ballet of Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro (2001–2009) and a company member of Birmingham Royal Ballet (2000–2001). Over the course of his career he has also worked with renowned ballet figures including Natalia Makarova, Vladimir Vasiliev, and Richard Cragun.

In addition to his company career, Luiz has appeared internationally as a Principal Guest Artist, performing with companies including English National Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, Ballet Argentino de la Plata, Ballet Metropolitano de Buenos Aires, Ballet del Sodre, and Golden State Ballet, among others.

Alongside his performing career, Luiz has developed an active choreographic practice. His works have been created and presented internationally, including The White Feather, Remember Me, created for Suzhou Ballet Theatre in China, and Tchaikovsky: A Love Letter, a full-length ballet exploring the life and music of the composer.

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