About us
The Keshet
Story
Founded in 1996, Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts continues to embody the early vision of its Founder and Artistic Director, Shira Greenberg, while growing and evolving to reflect 25+ years of our dancers, our community, and our ever-changing world.
Housed at the Keshet Center for the Arts in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the heart of the organization is Keshet Dance Company, a core group of professional dance artists, who creatively feed and are fed by three intersecting program areas: Education and Engagement (classes and performances for all ages and abilities); the Ideas and Innovation Community (business resource center and residency-based makerspace for arts entrepreneurs); and Arts and Justice Initiatives (which includes juvenile justice direct service, research, policy/advocacy, data/evaluation, and community connectivity).
our mission
Rooted in dance, mentorship, and a welcoming space for the arts, Keshet activates community and fosters unlimited possibilities through education, engagement, innovation, and the pursuit of justice.
our vision
To celebrate the art of dance and be a welcoming home for the intersection of the arts, artists, and audience; actuating a flourishing environment for empowered individuals, nurtured communities, and sustained equity.
Our Values
Personal Growth
seeking opportunities for stakeholders to grow beyond existing levels of competence
Excellence
pursing achievements that reach the highest professional and personal standards in all endeavors
Fluidity
maintaining the ability and capacity to adapt to change
Opportunity
embracing calculated risks that lead to achievement, creating opportunity with courage
Inclusion
creating an inviting and accessible environment
Authenticity
ensuring an atmosphere of openness and transparency
Community
Impact Areas
Social Justice Through Dance
Keshet’s Arts and Justice Initiatives work with a broad range of community partners at the intersection of arts and juvenile justice who envision a future where youth are empowered and where the systems that serve them are transformed, centering the arts as a way to build the well-being of young people and their communities. Keshet’s work in this area includes:
- Dance programming for incarcerated and paroling youth
- Post-release transition and detention alternatives support, through arts programming and mentorship
- Field research supporting policy and advocacy efforts towards meaningful systems change
- Community conversations and learning opportunities centering youth voices with an eye towards resource connectivity across social sector and government agencies
The Business of Art
The Keshet Ideas and Innovation Community (KIIC) champions the value of the artist and the arts economy. Through KIIC, Keshet:
- Offers arts business classes for arts entrepreneurs throughout the year
- Facilitates various artist residencies, providing access to rehearsal and performance space for movement artists
Community Dance Education
Everyone can dance!
- Keshet classes are available to all levels, ages, and abilities; from age 2 to 102
- To break down economic barriers to dance, Keshet offers unlimited, non-competitive scholarships through a sliding scale payment structure
While many of Keshet’s dance education opportunities are multi-generational, we also offer specific programs for young dancers, pre-professional students, professional dancers, novice adults, older adults, dancers with disabilities, and more
Contemporary Dance Performance
Keshet engages audiences in a wide range of contemporary dance performance experiences and opportunities.
- Local performances range from community-wide collaborative productions to national and international visiting guest artists.
- Keshet on tour brings the unique work of the Keshet company to regional, national, and international communities.