FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Annmarie Garcia Sheahan is a native New Mexican and an avid lover of dance, reading, writing, and teaching. She grew up dancing at Sandra’s School of Dance, where she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and gymnastics and was a member of the studio’s competitive dance team throughout middle and high school. Annmarie continued her dance career at Sandra’s from 2005-2019, serving as the director of the studio’s tap program and as both a choreographer and dance instructor for kids and adults.

In 2014, Annmarie auditioned for and joined the Alley Kats Tap Company, where she continues to further her love of tap dance as a company member, teacher, and director. In addition to performing frequently with the Alley Kats, Annmarie has been heavily involved as a choreographer and featured dancer in several local musical theatre productions as well as for The New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus. She has been the choreographer for the Rio Rancho Youth Chorus since 2017, and loves helping kids who have never been comfortable with dancing gain confidence in movement. Annmarie is also intensely passionate about literature and education, and received her doctorate from the University of New Mexico in 2019.  She has been an instructor at both the high school and college level for over a decade.

In 2020, Annmarie founded BreakingEven as a means of staying connected to friends through their collective love of dance and movement. As the troupe’s artistic director, Annmarie is so thrilled by the ways in which BreakingEven has evolved and expanded since its formation, and she looks forward to continuing to grow as a choreographer, dancer, and person alongside her closest friends and troupe members. Annmarie remains grateful to everyone in her life—friends, family, mentors, and her partner Jesse—for supporting her dreams.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR & DANCER

Paige was born and raised in New Mexico. She spent most of her childhood in Cedar Crest, where she spent much of her time outdoors. Paige is a New Mexico licensed attorney practicing personal injury and employment law. Paige owns her own law practice, Paige Gallegos Law, LLC.

Paige was introduced to dance around the age of 2 when she first enrolled in gymnastics. She began her dance journey officially at the age of 3 when her parents enrolled her in ballet and jazz classes. Paige was a member of the New Mexico Ballet Company for years and has performed in a variety of productions, including The Nutcracker and Dracula Ballet. Paige is now BreakingEven’s Assistant Director/resident ballerina and holds ballet classes for the troupe on occasion as the troupe’s technique continues to grow. Paige is absolutely delighted to incorporate ballet back into her dancing repertoire.

When not in one of her many rehearsals, Paige can be found in her house curled up watching a true crime documentary or reading a book with her three puppies, Sirius Blond, Pepper, and Strider. Paige is a huge Halloween enthusiast and has been ordained “Paige, the Pumpkin Princess” by her husband Tyler.

MARKETING DIRECTOR & DANCER

Native New Mexican and home grown from the small town of Silver City, Denise Nava has been dancing since she was four. Before starting her professional career in the nonprofit sector, Denise earned her Bachelor of Arts at New Mexico State University. In 2014, she earned her Master of Public Administration in Human Resources and Nonprofit Administration at the University of New Mexico. Currently, Denise is the Marketing & Development Director for Albuquerque Community Foundation.

Since she started dancing, Denise has done ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and gymnastics. Denise continued dancing in jazz through high school and college. She eventually found Annmarie’s adult jazz class when she moved to Albuquerque in 2010 and has been dancing with her for the last decade year. She is most excited to see the growth of BreakingEven!

Denise serves as a board member of Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central New Mexico, Rio Grande Community Development Corporation, and Bold Futures. When not volunteering, Denise writes, designs websites, and manages social media campaigns through her company, Matchbox Marketing. During her free time, she can be found exploring downtown, shopping at the grower’s market or walking the Bosque with her dog, Harley and husband, Drew.

TREASURER & DANCER

Kimberly Gaume grew up on a small farm in Las Cruces, NM. She was first introduced to dance by her mother who believes, “a kitchen becomes part of a home when it is danced in.”

Kim’s passion for music and movement led her to dance with the Hellenic Greek Folk Dancers and Mesilla Valley Dance Collective in Las Cruces, NM. Kim graduated from the Hotel Restaurant and Tourism Management Program at New Mexico State University and started life’s adventures living and working around the country with Marriott and Starbucks Coffee Company.

In 2016, Kim received her biggest promotion yet and became a mother. She settled in Albuquerque, NM with her husband Jason and sons Brock and Ander. Kim continued her love of dance by taking jazz classes at Sandra’s School of Dance and later Alley Kat’s Tap Company. It is at these studios she built bonds that would later become BreakingEven and dear friends. All equally passionate about following your heart and doing what makes you feel alive.

In her free time Kim finds herself dancing with her boys, working on home renovations, brushing the dust off her piano playing and finding the next outdoor adventure

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER & DANCER

Cristina Shore was born in San Diego, CA, but her family relocated to Cedar Crest shortly before her first birthday. She discovered a love of performance at a young age by signing up for every school talent show to sing the classics (“Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “Bye Bye Bye,” complete with choreography), piano lessons from age 7, joining the Albuquerque Girl Choir, and throughout high school as a member of Manzano’s concert and show choirs. Above all else, though, she holds a lifelong love of dance, dabbling in many forms such as ballet, jazz, contemporary, and flamenco.

Cristina currently works as the Transaction Coordinator for a local real estate agency and is just three semesters away from completing her bachelor's in ICT from NMSU! In her free time, Cristina enjoys baking, reading, hiking, and spending time with her three children and husband, Nathan.

DANCER

Shannon was born in Van Nuys, CA, but has called Albuquerque home since she was 4 years old. Shannon spent her early years in gymnastics and piano lessons. In middle school she joined the Albuquerque Girl Choir, the school dance team, and the show choir.

Shannon was on her high school dance team, and took hip hop and ballroom dance classes in college. After a long hiatus, she is grateful to be dancing again as part of this amazing group!

Shannon graduated from the University of New Mexico with a BA in English, and has spent her professional career working in IT for the Indian Health Service, most recently as a UX/Accessibility Specialist.

Shannon is married to her college sweetheart and is the proud mama of two amazing kiddos. She loves hanging with her dogs, cheering her family on at sporting events, and traveling whenever she can!

DANCER

Sarah has been dancing in Albuquerque for over twenty years. She grew up studying ballet, tap, and jazz at La Mesa Dance Academy, has been a Core A member of Alley Kats Tap Company for over a decade, and has taught and choreographed for dancers of all ages and levels at Alley Kats Tap Studio, NDI of New Mexico, and Sandra's School of Dance.

Sarah holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Human Development from Connecticut College and a J.D. from the UNM School of Law. As a civil litigation attorney, she compassionately represents injured New Mexicans and their families through a trauma-informed lens.

DANCER

Natalie Lynam was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration and Juris Doctor at the University of New Mexico. Natalie has been a New Mexico licensed attorney since 2017 and is the managing attorney of Legal Resources for the Elderly Program, a nonprofit providing free legal advice to New Mexico seniors.

Dance has always been a major part of Natalie’s life. She grew up dancing at Sandra’s School of Dance, alongside BreakingEven Founder and Director, Annmarie Garcia Sheahan. At Sandra’s, Natalie trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, and gymnastics and was a member of the studio’s competitive dance team. Natalie continued to dance throughout college and reignited her love of dance when she began taking Annmarie’s Adult Jazz class in 2012.

In her free time, Natalie enjoys spending time with her husband, Matt, her dogs, Maxwell and Misha, and cat, Toshi.

DANCER

Sara grew up moving all over the world living in The Netherlands, Russia, Argentina, and China. She settled in Albuquerque after college, met her husband 15 years ago on a blind date set up by her mother, and has happily been in Albuquerque ever since. She currently works at Heritage Hotels & Resorts where she enjoys getting to celebrate, preserve, and protect the history and culture of New Mexico.

When she isn’t working (or dancing) she can be found in Old Town, Albuquerque with her husband, J.J., and their pup, Crispy. They live in Old Town and have a small business next to The Christmas Shop called “Salsa Saint” that sells 120+ different kinds of New Mexican made salsas and chile sauces. They can also be found in the sky flying a hot air balloon named “Mr. Sprinkles” with the Chubby Kid Chase Crew bringing joy to children young & old.

DANCER

Kim Martinez has been a dancer for over 15 years and began dancing in Santa fe, NM with the Capital High School dance team, the Jazzy Katz and then made her way further into the performing arts with the Capital Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA).

She danced for the Jazzy Katz for 4 years, co-captaining for two of those years as well as performing in numerous productions with CAPA including the NMAA Theater State Competition, semi-annual Follies, and spring musicals (Aida, The Wizard of Oz, and Seussical the Musical). Although performing took a backseat in college, she always made sure to have at least one dance class on her schedule. Her most recent performances were with Miss D. and the Naughties of Maple Street Dance prior to joining Breaking Even in 2022.

DANCER

Jenna’s journey with dance began at East Mountain Dance (formerly known as Tara’s Dance Academy) in Edgewood, NM. She was inspired by her mom, who grew up participating in musical theater and tap dancing. Much of Jenna’s childhood was spent at Fishback Studio of the Dance in Albuquerque, where she primarily took tap and jazz classes. She also enjoyed traveling and competing with the Tap Team.

Jenna discovered the Alley Kats Tap Company in 2017 and an amazing community of dancers she instantly connected with at the studio, including long-time company member, Annmarie Sheahan. Jenna joined BreakingEven in the summer of 2022 and is thrilled to continue growing as a dancer.

Jenna earned her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences (2018) and M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of New Mexico in 2020. She currently works as a licensed speech-language pathologist at an outpatient clinic in Albuquerque.

DANCER

Elsie Stott is a ‘renaissance’ woman, living and working in Albuquerque, NM with her partner and daughter. She teaches band and is hired across the region and state as a clinician and adjudicator. Elsie is a lifelong dancer, starting with her aunt helping her learn to point her toes as a baby! She has many hobbies which include hiking, crafting, traveling, reading, making music, board games, learning and trying new things, eating delicious food, and traveling.

DANCER

Rhea Richardson has been a member of the Albuquerque dance and theatre scene for 8 years. 18 years old now and the youngest member of BE, she started doing theatre when she was 10 years old with New Mexico Young Actors, and found a love for performing and dance. She performed with multiple dance studios around town before finding a home with Annmarie and Alleykats Tap Studio. She joined Breaking Even in 2021.

Outside of dance, Rhea is studying Criminology and Political Science at UNM and is minoring in Dance. Rhea is also always looking for new ways to explore movement. She works and trains at NinjaForce Gym, coaching kids and training to become and American Ninja Warrior herself. She has trained ninja for 9 years, is a self-taught aerial silks artist, weightlifter, and is learning basic tumbling and handbalancing.