Diversity of Latino Dance Highlighted at Three-Day Fest Starting this Week

Diversity of Latino Dance Highlighted at Three-Day Fest Starting this Week

MVMT Dance / Photo by Badshooting Photography

THE SECOND ANNUAL Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival runs March 11-13 at MATCH. Presented by the Houston non-profit art organization The Pilot Dance Project, the festival features three days of solo, duo and ensemble works performed by over 20 dancers and dance companies representing the diversity and stylistic range of Latino choreography.


Given the fact that 40 percent of Houston’s population is Spanish speaking, and that the city continues to grow as a creative hub for artists from across Latin America, the festival is a welcome opportunity to see work by a community that is all too often underrepresented in the world of dance.

Returning to the festival this year are Alas Dance Company; Roberta Paixao Cortes, who co-directs the Houston-based dance and music collective Group Acorde; and dancer Kristina Prats. The festival also includes performances by Monica Villarreal, who performs the traditional La Danza Azteca of Central Mexico, and will present a work inspired by the stories of Mesoamerican mythology.

Houston choreographer Dorianne Castillo will perform “Silenced Souls,” an ensemble work created in collaboration with Lysette Portano in remembrance of the over thousand women gone missing or murdered along the border of the United States and Ciudad de Juárez, Mexico.

And The Pilot Dance Project artistic director, Adam Castañeda, who is the mastermind of the Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival, will present three sections across the three nights of the festival from Lazarus in the Promised Land, an evening-length work inspired by the complex life story and religious beliefs of his paternal grandparents.

Dance fans burnt out on Zoom will be relieved to hear this year’s festival will be live, with performances for an in-person audience. Masks are strongly recommended. The full line-up of this year’s performers is available on the MATCH website.

De La Rosa Dance Company / Photo by Matthew Rood

Alas Dance Company / Photo by Ulisses Rivera

Art + Entertainment
‘Culture of Service and Accountability’ Supports Mission of Orion EMS

Gerard O’Brien, President/CEO & Founder, and Sumi Patel, Vice President

HOW DID YOU get where you are today? The EMS industry, quite literally, never stops. Our staff and units are called to serve our community every hour of every day; there are no weekends, holidays, or “days off.” Obviously, the demands of EMS are not for the faint of heart, and we have established a culture of service and accountability that is different than nearly every other organization. Our leadership team sets this culture by exhibiting their passion for this industry daily. Their tireless dedication makes a better experience for our staff when they come to work and for our patients and clients when they call on us to transport their loved ones.

Keep ReadingShow less

David Adickes and Bun B

SOME OF THE CITY'S most influential VIPs gathered at Steak 48 in River Oaks District for the annual toast to CityBook’s “Leaders & Legends,” a recurring franchise for the publication whose past honorees have including a Tony and Grammy winner, a Nobel laureate, a member of Congress, an Olympic medalist, multiple billionaire business moguls, TV stars, artists and scientists of every sort, and the city’s most glamorous and generous socialites.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parties

Tay Butler’s Lawndale installation, spring 2023

DESPITE ITS PAIN and pitfalls, there’s no denying that the pandemic inspired artists like never before. This season, one of the most ambitious public-art projects to emerge from the Covid years comes to a close.

Keep ReadingShow less
Art + Entertainment