Indeed, the zeroes amounted to $1 million, and BodyTraffic, the Los Angeles-based company she co-founded with Lillian Barbeito in 2007—and has been the sole artistic director since 2020—was continuing its ascent in the dance world. Having carved out a name for itself on both national and international stages, while also helping to elevate the contemporary dance scene in its home town, the eight-member BodyTraffic, which has been in residence at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts since 2019, again takes to the stage of the Beverly Hills venue December 6-7 in a program of three works.

So, how did this gal who grew up in New York City and then attended Barnard College and Columbia University—graduating summa cum laude with degrees in mathematics and economics—land in the City of Angels and become the director of an acclaimed dance troupe? Following her dream may sound like a cliché, but this is actually what Finkelman Berkett did: Instead of taking a job on Wall Street or becoming an accountant like many in her family, she pursued her passion. 

As a child, she’d taken dance classes under Michele Cuccaro Cain, going to her first performance, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, at City Center. But after college, and instead of going into corporate life, it was her father who encouraged her to chart a different course. Auditioning for and getting accepted into Aszure Barton & Artists, Finkelman Berkett performed with that troupe throughout the States, including at Jacob’s Pillow and Spoleto festivals.

She also taught alongside Barton, both here and abroad, before becoming a founding member of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Hell’s Kitchen Dance, where, in addition to touring alongside Baryshnikov himself, she served as the troupe’s dancer liaison, piquing her interest in arts administration. Shortly thereafter, in 2007, Finkelman Berkett headed West, founding BodyTraffic with Barbeito. 

Since then, the celebrated troupe has performed in more than 30 states and 20 countries, including as cultural ambassadors to Israel and Jordan during the Obama administration, as well as South Korea (2016), Algeria (2017-2018), and Indonesia (2018). In the last year alone, the company had 50 shows, attesting to the fact that BodyTraffic is decidedly traveling in the fast lane. 

Not driven by a single choreographic voice, the troupe instead commissions renowned choreographers, among them Kyle Abraham, Ohad Naharin and Trey McIntyre, who recently joined the troupe as Creative Partner, and whose world premiere, “Mayday,” is included on the Wallis program. By endorsing both established and new voices while being a home for an eclectic range of styles and perspectives that tell dynamic stories, BodyTraffic creates opportunities for artists to fully embrace their creative practice.

And in addition to its rigorous performing schedule, BodyTraffic, whose members range in age from 19-32, is dedicated to education, with the troupe mentoring and uplifting more than 700 students annually through various programs. Ranging from youth-focused movement workshops to professional development for established artists, this holistic approach stems from Finkelman Berkett’s belief in the transformative power of dance as a vehicle for personal and collective growth. 

Fjord Review caught up with the fiendishly busy director by phone in a conversation that included the troupe’s upcoming Wallis program, what she looks for in a choreographer and why she stopped dancing.