Genie Benson joined Keshet Chaim as a dancer in 1987 and, in 1988, became the company’s administrator. She currently serves as the Executive Director, and is primarily responsible for the company’s development as a professional non-profit organization. Genie began dancing at the age of three, learning both ballet and tap. She continued to study ballet with Victor Moreno, performing in his company on a regular basis until the age of fifteen, when the decision had to be made between a normal school life and the back-stage life of a ballerina in New York. According to her parents, there was no choice. She remained in Los Angeles and turned her dance interests to both modern and contemporary dance disciplines, studying with various teachers. Her passion for dance began to dwindle until being rekindled one summer at the Brandeis Bardin Institute. Her focus of study became Israeli dance, under the enthusiastic and wonderful teaching of Dani Dassa. Spending several hours each day learning a new form of dance again inspired her to continue when she returned home. Recreational folk dancing led to performing with Keshet Chaim, teaching new dancers, and affording her the opportunity to explore many other styles of dance as well. Beginning as Keshet Chaim’s administrator, her accomplishments include creating financial systems, developing promotional materials, creating new relationships with the concert dance community, utilizing consultants for artistic and marketing projects, and maintaining an ongoing relationship with the press. Genie is responsible for the company bookings and for developing varied programming to keep the company viable and active. She is also in charge of grant writing and fundraising as well as researching, hiring, and coordinating the artistic staff on all projects. Genie served on the Dance Resource Center Board of Directors and was the editor for the Zine, their bimonthly newsletter, for three years. She served as a member of the Tel Aviv-Los Angeles Partnership Committee, which is part of the Jewish Federation.