Violeta Galagarza
Founder & Executive Artistic Director, KR3TS Dance Company
is an award-winning choreographer, educator, community leader, and the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Keep Rising To The Top (KR3TS) Dance Company, an East Harlem institution that has been transforming lives and developing generations of professional dancers and choreographers for more than 37 years.
Born and raised in Spanish Harlem, Violeta began her professional dance journey at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Her ability to seamlessly blend traditional dance forms with Hip-Hop, Latin dance, and other street and contemporary styles has distinguished her as an innovative force in the dance and entertainment industries.
Throughout her career, Violeta has choreographed and created work for an extensive roster of recording artists and entertainers, including Aventura, Prince Royce, Jill Scott, Joe, Omarion, Milly Quezada, Hip Hop Violinist Miri Ben-Ari, Jim Jones, Shenseea, TKA, Karmin, Lumidee, Lisette Melendez, El General, and many others. You can find her dancers in the Karmin – I Want It All music video on youtube that has over 7.3 million views. In 2024 Violeta was featured Karol G with at the 2024 MTV Music Awards performance. Violeta and KR3TS dancers were also part of the dance scenes featured in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film In the Heights.
Her work has earned numerous prestigious honors. In 2012, at the Latin Grammys Violeta received recognition for Best Choreography – Flash Mob, a Bessie Award for Special Achievement in Dance, and was one of seven women honored with a MamásLatinas Award. She later received a New York Emmy Award for her choreography work with KR3TS in Telemundo 47’s commercial.
Through KR3TS, Violeta has trained more than 5,000 students in Hip-Hop, Mambo, African, Latin, House, Hustle, Ballet, Bachata, and numerous other dance styles. The artistic development, discipline, mentorship, and professional training students receive at KR3TS have helped launch countless careers in the entertainment industry. KR3TS alumni have gone on to perform on world tours and major stages alongside artists including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, MArc Anthony, Kanye West, Kelly Rowland, Missy Elliott, Lady Gaga, Jason Derulo, Azealia Banks, Cardi B, 50 Cent, Ariana Grande, and many others. Most recently, KR3TS alumni reached one of the world’s largest stages, performing alongside Bad Bunny during the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.
For Violeta, however, KR3TS has never been solely about creating professional dancers. It is about transforming lives. For generations of young people, KR3TS has provided a safe and positive alternative where they can express themselves, develop discipline and confidence, discover their potential, and navigate life’s challenges rather than succumb to street pressures and other negative influences. Students are also taught that success comes with a responsibility to give back.
That commitment to service extends throughout the community. KR3TS raised $12,000 for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico, including support for portable battery-operated airbeds and other essential needs. The organization has distributed care packages to homeless youth throughout New York City and provided food, clothing, and essential support to seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through dance, mentorship, wellness initiatives, community events, and direct service, Violeta has made giving back a fundamental part of the KR3TS legacy.
Her unwavering commitment to dance, youth development, and community empowerment has earned her recognition from numerous government and civic leaders. Her honors include recognition from former New York State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, a Commendation Award from former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, recognition from Congressman Charles B. Rangel, and numerous additional awards and citations.
On December 15, 2025, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who later became New York City Comptroller, presented Violeta with a proclamation officially declaring December 15 “Violeta Galagarza Appreciation Day” in recognition of her decades of service, leadership, and impact. On May 2, 2026, New York State Senator José M. Serrano also presented a proclamation recognizing the 37th Anniversary of KR3TS Dance Company and its longstanding contributions to New York City’s youth, dance, culture, and community.
Violeta’s groundbreaking work also extends into the video game industry. Using motion-capture technology, she choreographed nightclub dance sequences for Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which became the best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time. Her relationship with Rockstar Games continued with Grand Theft Auto IV, where Violeta and KR3TS dancers were incorporated into the game’s storyline. In the “Manny Escuela” mission storyline, Violeta appeared as a community dance school instructor, further cementing KR3TS’s connection to popular culture and entertainment history.
Violeta’s life and work have been featured in Reader’s Digest, the New York Daily News, New York Post, Latina Magazine, Time Out New York, We B*Girlz, by Martha Cooper and Nika Kramer, PIX11 News, and other national and international media outlets. Her story of perseverance, hard work, and dedication earned her recognition as NY1’s “New Yorker of the Week,” FOX 5’s “Hero of the Day,” and CBS 2’s “Notable New Yorker of the Week.” She was also featured on TLC’s Cover Shot, which showcased her on a billboard in Times Square, as well as the renowned Spanish-language talk show Cristina.
As an educator, Violeta has taught at the Joffrey Ballet School and numerous other respected dance institutions. Her expertise has taken her internationally, with workshops and master classes in Switzerland, Sweden, Paris, Marseille, and Chile. At the same time, Violeta’s unique teaching style and the reputation of KR3TS have attracted dancers from around the world to East Harlem to train with her and experience the culture and community she has built.
More than 37 years after its founding, KR3TS continues to stand for exactly what its name promises: Keep Rising To The Top. What began with Violeta’s passion for dance has grown into a legacy of artistic excellence, mentorship, cultural preservation, professional development, and community service. Through every dancer she trains, every opportunity she creates, and every life KR3TS touches, Violeta Galagarza continues to prove that dance can be more than an art form—it can be a pathway to opportunity, purpose, and transformation.
