It’s funny, the things Albuquerque is known for. A friend recently went to China on a trip with her business school class, and was met in a remote part of that country by questions about “Breaking Bad,” including: Is it safe to live there? Is your meth really blue? All these years later, and it’s still Walter White.There are the other things, too. Tech. Weapons. These are the things government officials like to think make our city run, mostly because of roughly $2 billion in federal money thrown at Sandia Labs by the defense department each year. Oh, and there’s also craft beer. We’re, like, one of the top new beer cities in the nation, according to VinePair online magazine. (Note to self: Do not drink and make bombs at the same time though. Cool?)Also, outdoors stuff. Choice Home Warranty magazine named us the 4th best city in the United States for outdoorsiness because of our nearly 30,000 acres of city parks, relentless sunshine and easy access to hiking, camping, skiing, etc.One thing we ought to be better known for, it seems, is dance. Albuquerque is positively bursting with dance excellence, home to not just the top flamenco school in the United States (National Institute of Flamenco), but also to a highly regarded national gem in the contemporary dance world, Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts. So why aren’t more of us swooning about the dance scene here? Maybe because it can be hard, says Keshet’s communications director, Carolyn Tobias, to be truly appreciated in your own town, even if you are totally appreciated, as Keshet is, pretty much everywhere else.This weekend, Keshet’s merits will be on display for the entire community with their 2019 Choreographer’s Showcase, and you really should go. Like, seriously. With shows on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7:30pm and Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2pm. The showcase will feature new work from Keshet Dance Company and also work from the first cohort of Keshet’s 2019 Makers Space Experience winners.The Makers Space Experience is something like a fellowship for contemporary choreographers, in which Keshet provides dancers and choreographers with studio space at the Southwest’s Choreographic Center and Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts and, in the case of those who are from outside of Albuquerque, a hotel room for 10 days while they work on a new piece of choreography. In addition, artists receive entrepreneur business workshops during their residencies.“The Makers Space program is growing in reputation nationally,” Tobias told the Alibi. “This is the first year we had more qualified candidates than we were able to accommodate.”This weekend’s performance features the first group of residency winners. They are: Mary Fitzgerald of Phoenix; Kate Ladenheim/The People Movers of New York City; Erinn Liebhard of St. Paul; Cecilia Lynn-Jacobs/The People Movers of New York City; Amber Moon Peterson of Helena; Molly Ross/MOLLY & NOLA of Brooklyn; Nola Sporn Smith/MOLLY & NOLA of Brooklyn; Eileen Standley of Tempe; and Kelly Ashton Todd of New York City.
Art Preview: Choreographer’s Showcase
Keshet’s Showcase Features National Choreographers
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