Celeste Lopez-Keranen

Joined KCB in 2025

Celeste Lopez-Keranen is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she began her training at the Grand Rapids Ballet School under the direction of Patricia Barker and Attila Mosolygo. She furthered her training at summer programs including Jacob’s Pillow, Orsolina28, BalletX, and San Francisco Ballet, among others.

At 16, Lopez-Keranen began her professional career as an apprentice and trainee with Grand Rapids Ballet. She later joined the Louisville Ballet Studio Company under Artistic Director Robert Curran, where she performed in Jerome Robbins’ In G Major and George Balanchine’s Emeralds. In 2022, she danced in Jacob’s Pillow’s 90th Anniversary Gala.

Lopez-Keranen went on to dance with Ballet Arkansas for three seasons, where she performed roles such as Carmen in Michael Fothergill’s Carmen and Mina in Dracula. Her repertoire also included Gerald Arpino’s Reflections, Sir David Bintley’s Galanteries, Tsai Hsi Hung’s BRUSHSTROKES 2024, and Le Sylphides, among others.

Throughout her career, Lopez-Keranen has had the opportunity to work with choreographers including Alice Klock, Florian Lochner, Tsai Hsi Hung, Jennifer Archibald, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Yuka Oba-Muschiana, Penny Saunders, and Val Caniparoli.