What a whirlwind honor to meet Shira Greenberg, founder and Artistic Director of Keshet Dance Company based in Albuquerque, NM. Having met thousands of dance teachers over the years and hearing countless inspiring stories from these teachers, Shira Greenberg's über ambitious achievements and goals stand out as particularly impressive. Greenberg is opening the new 30,000 sq ft Keshet Center for the Arts with 5 studios, a theater/soundstage, and a new arts business incubator. She also runs Keshet Dance Company with a staff of 22 including 5 full time professional dancers who are paid 52 weeks a year with benefits. Some of Keshet's community outreach education programs include weekly dance programming for homeless youth in partnership with the Title 1 Homeless Project, physically integrated dance classes for kids and adults with varying levels of physical disabilities and a program for incarcerated youth in a NM state detention facility (YDDC.)
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First Lady Michelle Obama presents the 2009 Coming Up Taller Award to Keshet's Founder/Artistic Director
Shira Greenberg (far left)
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The outreach program to incarcerated youth began in 1997 when the Keshet Dance Company was asked to participate in an 8-week, 1 hour per week program to teach dance to incarcerated kids, most between the ages of 14 to 20 years. Shira quickly saw that even though students would make progress within each hour session, it was basically like going back to square one each week as a new class began. At the end of the initial 8-week program, Shira asked if she could find the funding, would the juvenile detention facility allow her to conduct a more intense, more frequent program for these kids, many of whom are violent offenders. Asked, "Why did you want to take this on?" Shira answers without hesitation, "Because it needed to be done." Now in its 16th successful year, the dance-based academic program for incarcerated youth boasts zero recidivism compared to an average 50% recidivism rate for those who do not participate in her program. With funds from private donations and the United Way, Keshet's outreach facilitators teach daily dance-based academic classes including literacy, math and conflict-resolution to 70 kids per semester, currently mostly boys, on site at YDDC. "We come to these kids with our Unlimited Possibilities philosophy. We say, 'I'm not going to judge you. I'm going to move with you,'" explains Shira. Keshet also provides a pre-release and post-release program to further mentor the students through their transition out of the facility which greatly contribute to the success of the overall program. The Keshet instructors become like family to the students teaching them vital life skills as well as dance. Shira points out that several of the students have acquired excellent pre-professional level dancing skills should they decide to pursue a career in dance. YDDC students also find it rewarding to assist in the physically integrated Keshet workshops.
A warm, welcoming person, extraordinary visionary, choreographer, businesswoman, fundraiser, artist, wife, and mom -- Shira brings a whole new meaning to over-achieving multi-tasker. Click here to read more about Keshet Arts Center, business incubator Keshet Ideas & Innovation Center (with NM Ballet and Mother Road Theater as the first participating businesses) and how you can help.
By Karla Johnson
