WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Shira Greenberg, Indie Lujan & First Lady Michelle Obama (left to right) - photo, Steven Purcell
Keshet Dance Company, a group of professional dancers who conduct workshops and performances in youth shelters, detention centers, schools and community centers throughout New Mexico, is being nationally recognized as one of 15 youth arts and humanities programs to receive the prestigious 2009 Coming Up Taller Award.
November 4, 2009, Youth and adult representatives of the program were in Washington, D.C., to attend a White House ceremony where they accepted the award from first lady Michelle Obama .
Coming Up Taller is a national initiative that recognizes and supports outstanding out-of-school and after-school arts and humanities programs for children, especially those with great potential, but limited outlets for creative expression. A project of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) , in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) , the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) , the Coming Up Taller Awards honor programs that offer exceptional learning experiences in the arts and the humanities and that have a tangible effect on the lives of young people as evidenced through improved academic scores, enhanced life skills, and positive relationships with peers and adults.
Keshet Dance Company is a professional company of dance artists committed to inspiring passion and opening unlimited possibilities through the experience of dance. Keshet unites professional dancers with the community through social programs to open unlimited possibilities regardless of economic, physical, or social situations – connecting people with art to build a stronger community.
Keshet’s outreach facilitators teach daily dance classes as part of the high school curriculum on site at YDDC, New Mexico’s state juvenile detention facility, using dance to teach literacy skills, math skills and conflict resolution skills. Keshet also has a pre-release and post-release program to continue mentoring students while they transition out of the facility, providing a structured mentorship program through the parole and reintegration process.
Indie C. was incarcerated at age 13 for murder. Within her first few months, she became involved in Keshet’s daily dance program. Over the course of four years her academics improved, she developed positive relationships with a variety of strong mentors and she was granted early parole at age 17. With the unfortunate policy in place requiring juveniles to cut off all contact with relationships developed while incarcerated, Keshet received approval from the Parole Board, to be mandated as a required component of her reintegration. Dancers not only moved and created with her, but also advocated for her in foster care meetings, parole and social work meetings.
Indie recently wrote, “When I first got to jail, there wasn’t much of anything to do, except get into trouble. Then Keshet gave us dance. Their positive attitudes and uplifting spirits rub off on you. To stay in this program with Keshet, you have to be staying out of trouble. That wasn’t an easy thing to do. But Keshet is such a great program that it kept me and other kids out of trouble. Now I’m 18 and Keshet has stayed involved in my life while every other program came in for a month or two and just left without a warning. No matter what they were there for me. Keshet is like a family that a lot of kids in jail never had. They accept you and love you however you are.”
“We are incredibly honored to receive this prestigious recognition from The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The power of the arts to change people’s lives is something that we believe in whole-heartedly, and we strive to actuate these changes on a daily basis. This recognition brings new exposure to the work of Keshet so that our programs can serve more people and more lives can be positively affected in the coming years, building a stronger community one life at a time,” said Shira Greenberg, founder and artistic director.
“This year’s Coming Up Taller Awardees exemplify how arts and humanities programs outside of the school setting can impact on the lives of our young people,” says Margo Lion, co-chairman, President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. “By exciting imaginations and providing opportunities for self-expression through the disciplines of theater, dance, music and literature these exceptional projects offer their participants windows on possibility and a belief in a more positive future.”
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities bridges the interests of federal agencies and the private sector, supports special projects that increase participation, and helps incorporate the humanities and the arts into White House objectives. The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Because democracy demands wisdom, the National Endowment for the Humanities serves and strengthens our Republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent federal grant making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners.
For more information please visit the following Web sites:
President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
National Endowment for the Arts
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