about us

Board President: 

Manuel Montoya, Associate Professor of International Management and Global Structures,
Chair of Creative Enterprise, University of New Mexico, Anderson School of Management

Immediate Past Board President:

Tom Wolinski, Fiasco Fine Wine

Board Vice President:

Dovya Friedman, Owner/CEO, Utility Agency & DLF Branding

Treasurer:  

Vanessa Shackleford, Program Analyst, Dept of Energy, Leidos

Members at Large:

Arlyn Crow, Adams + Crow Law Firm

Rabbi John T. Feldman, Professor, University of New Mexico Law School; Mediator; Musician

Shira Greenberg, Founder & Artistic Director, Keshet

Map and Directions

4121 Cutler Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110 (link to Google Maps)

Cutler is just north of Indian School / just south of Menaul

The cross streets are Morningside and Cutler (Keshet Center for the Arts is on the north side of Cutler, just west of Morningside) Morningside is just west of Washington

If you are heading East on I-40 Take the San Mateo exit and drive briefly north (L) on San Mateo. Turn to the west (L) on Cutler – the first street north of the freeway. Continue on Cutler past Washington, and continue just past Morningside, Keshet Center for the Arts will be on your right.

If you are heading West on I-40 Take the San Mateo exit and continue straight…you are already on Cutler! Continue heading this direction (west) on Cutler past Washington, to Morningside.  Keshet Center for the Arts will be on your right.

Awards/Honors & Milestones

2023

Shira Greenberg is appointed to the State of New Mexico Children’s Code Task Force, charged with re-writing the New Mexico Children’s Code, the primary legal statute overseeing juvenile justice and foster care for the State. To our knowledge Greenberg is the first artist in the State’s history to be a part of the Children’s Code creation.

Greenberg is appointed to the Jacob’s Pillow National Dance Presenters Forum, supporting the Forum’s charge “to rebuild the network of dance presenters as we emerge from the pandemic; foster dialogue about the changed landscape of dance presenting; and encourage an expansive model of access and participation in the field.”

Keshet hosts the first partnership convening between Keshet’s Arts and Justice Initiatives and the Arts for Healing and Justice Network at the Keshet Center for the Arts, welcoming Arts and Justice organizations and Youth Leaders from Los Angeles, San Diego, New Orleans, New York, and Ohio for three days of learning and sharing.

2022

Keshet receives a 2nd investment grant award from the US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration – $1,200,000 to support the expansion of Keshet Center for the Arts and the Keshet Ideas and Innovation Community.

Shira Greenberg is appointed to the New Mexico Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Statewide Coordinating Council.

Keshet is gifted a long-standing fundraising wine gala event, which is rebranded and launched as Keshet’s inaugural ABQ Wine Classic.

Keshet premieres not one but two new Keshet Dance Company original new evening-length works – Keystones, by Shira Greenberg in April and Hevel by Ana Lopes Aréchiga in November.

Keshet launches a new partnership with the Workforce Connections of Central New Mexico, providing paid internships for system-impacted and formerly incarcerated young adults, formally kicking off Keshet’s IDEAs Experience (Inquiry and Discovery through Education and the Arts).

2021

Shira Greenberg is honored with the New Mexico Humanitarian Award: Harold B. Albert Community Service Award.

Keshet receives the Southwest Region Economic Development Administration (SWREDA) Star of the Southwest Award “for playing a critical role in helping bolster local & regional economies through job creation and infrastructure development.”

Keshet joins 23 additional local community organizations in the field of Juvenile Justice to launch the ABQ Justice for Youth Community Collaborative with the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

2020

Keshet is awarded a $1,000,000 investment from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to expand Keshet’s Arts and Justice Initiatives.

Shira Greenberg is named a Program Advisor for the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, embarking on a three-year Advisory position.

Keshet Dance & Center for the Arts was voted the Best Local Nonprofit Brand, by finalist selection through the American Marketing Assoication and then through community votes with the B2B Expo NM.

2018

Keshet Center for the Arts became one of a handful of Choreographic Centers in the nation, and the only of it’s kind to include arts entrepreneur business training in our Makers Space Experience. Ten choreographers from across the USA (arriving in two cohorts) spent 10 days at Keshet Center for the Arts with access to daily rehearsal space, technique classes, business training, and peer support as they developed new work.

Shira Greenberg is one of the first recipients of Women & Creativity’s The Shine Award. The Shine Awards elevate and celebrate the efforts and impact of our community’s women and their contributions to the arts, creativity, entrepreneurship, leadership, and shared vision. Shira was recognized for her commitment to the innovative idea that “dance is for everyone,”  which has transformed Albuquerque’s community, creative economy, and the field of dance through the creation of Keshet Dance & Center for the Arts.

Keshet Dance receives the 2018 MINDBODY Visionary Award for being a business that supports our community and makes a positive impact on every person who comes through your doors, honored at the 2018 BOLD conference in San Diego, California.

2017

Keshet formally launches the Keshet International Dance Festival with Navarasa Dance Theater’s (India/Boston/LA) world premiere of Snake and Ladder.

With support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Keshet launches the first “Keshet Fellowship for Contemporary Dance” with inaugural Fellow, Silva Laukkanen from Austin, TX.

2016

The 20th annual, and finale run of Nutcracker on the Rocks, is presented at the Keshet Center for the Arts with a 26 show run including beautiful cameo appearances from past cast members over the past 20 years.

Shira Greenberg is a recipient of the 2016 Roslyn S. Jaffe Award, supporting everyday heroes who are making a meaningful impact in communities across the U.S., specifically in the areas of health, education, and social reform.

Keshet presents the Rio Grande Movement Collectors Festival, which is the seed that grows the Makers Space Experience at the Keshet Center for the Arts.

Keshet hosts the first Southwest/Mountain States Regional Convening on Adaptive/Inclusive Dance – co-presented by AXIS Dance Company and facilitated by AXIS’s Founder and Director Judith Smith, with performances by DanceAbility and master classes by DanceAbility Founder, Alito Alessi.

2015

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provides Keshet with seed money to codify the M3 curriculum and launch programming in five pilot communities throughout the U.S. forging partnerships between local dance professionals and the local juvenile justice system of each pilot community.

2014

Shira Greenberg is one of five women nationally to be awarded Traditional Home Magazine’s 2014 Classic Woman Award, recognizing extraordinary women who have made a difference in the lives of their communities.

2013

Keshet provides the rights to Nutcracker on the Rocks to Cohesion Dance Project (Helena, MT), and Cohesion premieres its first annual “Shira Greenberg’s Nutcracker on the Rocks” over Thanksgiving weekend.

Keshet is selected as the first place photo winner in TechSoup’s Digital Storytelling Contest.

Keshet closes on the property at 4121 Cutler Ave NE in January, and in August moves in, transforming the former soundstage and adjoining warehouse into the Keshet Center for the Arts.

2012

Keshet is awarded $1,000,000 from the US Department of Economic Development for the creation of the Keshet Ideas and Innovation Center at the Keshet Center for the Arts.

Romania’s Ministry of Culture brings Keshet’s Artistic Director to Bucharest to speak with government officials and arts leaders regarding Keshet’s unique arts initiatives and the creation of the Keshet Center for the Arts.

Keshet becomes an ambassador for City of Albuquerque’s Sister Cities Program, building arts and culture relationships with Rehovot, Israel.

2011

Shira Greenberg, Keshet’s Founder and Artistic Director, is recognized as a Top-Performing CEO by New Mexico Business Weekly, honoring CEOs whose leadership has a positive impact on business and communities in New Mexico.

2010

Keshet receives the Ethics in Business Award, recognizing only one non-profit organization within the state which demonstrates business excellence and the highest standards of ethical conduct, integrity, and civic and social responsibility.

2009

Keshet is nationally recognized as one of 15 youth arts and humanities programs to receive the prestigious 2009 Coming Up Taller Award for its work with incarcerated youth at the Youth Diagnostic and Development Center (YDDC). The award is presented by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, at the White House.

Shira Greenberg, Keshet’s Founder and Artistic Director, receives the Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women, recognizing 20 women within the State who have made exceptional contributions and achievements in improving the status of women in New Mexico.

Shira Greenberg receives the New Mexico Business Weekly’s Women of Influence Award, celebrating women who have made a difference in the community, blazed a trail and left a mark on New Mexico business.

2007

The New Mexico State Legislature passes House Memorial 107 “to commend Keshet Dance Company on its dance programs, its educational and social curricula and its provision of mentorship relationships for incarcerated and paroled youth, all aimed at reducing juvenile recidivism rates.”

2006

Keshet becomes one of only a handful of dance companies within the country to offer full-time employment and benefits to professional dancers and staff. [Only 5% -9% of dance companies in major metropolitan areas are able to pay salaries to their dancers – Dance/USA]Shira Greenberg is named one of New Mexico Business Weekly’s 40 Under Forty, recognizing 40 professionals under the age of 40 in the State of New Mexico who “stand out in their fields and are engaged in their communities making New Mexico a better place to live.”

2005

Keshet is awarded the New Mexico Women’s Forum LEAP Award (Leadership, Empowerment and Advocacy Program), presented to only one non-profit organization within the State of New Mexico annually.

2002

Keshet is one of only two recognized programs nationwide by the Peter F. Drucker Award for Non-Profit Innovation for innovative programming – “creating a new dimension of performance and changing people’s lives.”

January 25 (FBG) – Keshet Board and Staff is restructured to insure a focus on mission and programming.

2001

Keshet is awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Keep the Dream Alive Award by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Multicultural Council, Inc. for “creating an environment where the medium of dance is used to build cross-cultural and social bridges to every aspect of society.”

2000

Keshet receives the Albuquerque Arts Alliance’s Bravo Award for Excellence in Dance, determined by public nomination and peer review.

Keshet moves to 214 Coal, which will become its home for the next 13 years.

Keshet receives the National Bravo Network’s “2000 Smart Start – National Arts in Education Award,” awarded by the Bravo Network to only four arts organizations within the United States.

1998

The “Keshet Center for the Arts” business plan is written, mapping the future plans for the organization.

1997

Shira Greenberg discovers the 214 Coal property for lease and begins bugging the realtor, which will continue for the next 3 ½ years, until Keshet finally gets to move into that property.

Keshet premieres Shira Greenberg’s Nutcracker on the Rocks at Rodey Theater, with a dedicated cast of 13 dancers, some crazy crew members, and a whole lot of shenanigans.

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Land Acknowledgement

At Keshet, we believe that one of the roles of the arts is to make visible that which others have tried to make invisible. We also believe that it is not the responsibility of those whom others have attempted to make invisible to remind us that they are still here. 

 Therefore, as a committed ally and as artists, Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts wishes to acknowledge and recognize the Indigenous people and place where we stand, and the traditional, contemporary, and future lands of the Pueblo, Ancestral Pueblo, Navajo, Apache, and other Indigenous peoples who have had, and will have, a presence in New Mexico and who have in the past, and will in the future, travel this land. 

We give gratitude to the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. 

We pay our respects and honor their ancestors past, present, and future, and recognize their continued existence and contributions to our society.

We would also like to acknowledge the many peoples who did not arrive on this land by choice. We welcome everyone, however you arrived here, in this space, today and always.

Please take a moment to honor these ancestral grounds, to reflect on the complicated history of these lands which we gather on today, and to celebrate the resilience and strength of the peoples of these lands.

Thank you to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Tricklock Company, and the New England Foundation for the Arts / National Dance Project for their contributions to the development of this statement.

Contact Us

Keshet Center for the Arts
4121 Cutler Ave NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
505.224.9808 / info@KeshetArts.org

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