Choreographer Adam Castan͂eda Presents Carnegie Summer

This new work is inspired by the Near Northside’s Carnegie Neighborhood Library and Learning Center.

HOUSTON (March 15, 2026) – Houston-based choreographer and lifelong resident of the Near Northside, choreographer Adam Castan͂eda presents a new twenty-minute dance work, “Carnegie Summer.” Inspired by the Carnegie Neighborhood Library and Center for Learning, this new work pays homage to the institution’s many contributions to the Near Northside community.  This new work premieres April 11 at Noon as part of Art in the Heart’s 2nd Saturday Community Art Day (10:AM – 1PM). The event is FREE and open to the public; guests are encouraged to bring their own art supplies, projects, and picnic blankets. Art in the Heart supplies are available with a suggested $8 donation (includes materials plus a take-home project). 

“Carnegie Summer” is supported in part by a Support for Artists and Creative Individuals Grant from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance. 

Accompanied by original music by celebrated composer Sonia Flores of Aurum Son and costumed by acclaimed designer Ashley Horn, “Carnegie Summer” is a celebration of the joy of reading, as well as the wellspring of imagination created by a love of books and learning. The work includes sections inspired by such beloved titles as The Kite Runner; Bless, Me Ultima; and The Joy Luck Club. This project was previously profiled by Dance Magazine: “Passionate about literature’s power to cultivate greater understanding between people, Castañeda was inspired by a vision of these characters coming together to explore their common ground in an accessible and treasured environment for learning.” The full article can be found here.

Carnegie Summer will be danced by a cast of eight professional dancers, including Keeley Dunnam, Cynthia Garcia, Stormie Holmes, Sarah Leung, Nicole McNeil, Holly Moran, Kristina Prats, and Emily Roy.

ABOUT Adam Castan͂eda

Adam Castan͂eda is a dancer, choreographer, and arts administrator living in Houston, Texas. He is the Executive and Artistic Director of the Pilot Dance Project, a non-profit arts organization that produces the Annual Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival, and Bayou City Dances, a celebration of the city’s most celebrated dance company. As a company member of the Pilot Dance Project, he has performed in repertory and evening-length work by Ashley Horn, jhon r. stronks, Jennifer Mabus, Lori Yuill, Orlando Hunter (Brooklyn, New York), Erica Gionfriddo (Austin), and Corian Elisor (Atlanta), among others. He is a five-time recipient of the Houston Arts Alliance’s Support for Artists and Creative Individuals Grant. Outside of dance, he is a proud full-time faculty member of the English department at Houston City College.