Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival Takes The Stage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival Takes The Stage

The festival will host its third year of celebrating Latinx choreographers and identity at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH).

The Pilot Dance Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization with the mission to empower and transform communities through innovative dance and performing arts experiences, is proud to announce its 3rd Annual Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival. Created to uplift and celebrate Latinx choreographers and identity, this year’s event will be hosted at MATCH for its second in-person iteration. 

This year’s festival will be presented in a special one-night showcase on September 2, 2023 in MATCHBOX TWO. This year’s line-up features both celebrated established choreographers and emerging newcomers, including one of the University of Houston’s dance program’s newest faculty members M. Gabriela Estrada, who will show “Not a Single Carmen More!” This choreographic reflection is inspired by the opera Carmen and its treatment of women regarding race and gender, aiming to bridge references between our contemporary dance environment and Spanish dance and culture. She will be joined by Texas Woman’s University dance professor Elisa De La Rosa as she presents a new work featuring longtime dance collaborators Fernando I. Rocha and Krista Carson accompanied to by live vocals from Brittany Padilla. 

The program will also include “A Quiet Ending,” one of Executive and Artistic Director Adam Castan͂eda’s signature pieces. This soft, soulful reflection of the passing of his paternal grandmother has been seen at the Oklahoma Contemporary Dance Festival and Friendswood Dance Festival, among others. This year’s line-up also includes dynamic offerings from Estefania Valle and Andrew Smith, two graduate students from Sam Houston State University’s celebrated dance program. Austin-based dancemakers Bonnie Cox and Erica Saucedo join the festival for the first time in a comedic duet entitled “Tequila Tendu.” 

The full line-up of artists is below, and information regarding the performances will be available on The Pilot Dance Project website and social media pages. Tickets for the performances will be available for purchase through the MATCH website. 

ABOUT THE PILOT DANCE PROJECT

The Pilot Dance Project was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2003 as FrenetiCore. The organization and its professional dance company were founded by two local performing artists with the goal of creating narrative-based multimedia dance theater productions unique to the Houston arts community.  Under its previous direction, the company participated in numerous festivals, including the Wallpaper Dance Festival in Trieste, Italy, Big Range Dance Festival at Barnevelder Movement Complex, Texas Weekend of Contemporary Dance at the Miller Outdoor Theater, East End Cultural Arts Festival, Twelve Minutes Max at DiverseWorks, Houston Fringe Festival, New Orleans Fringe Festival, Bayou City Arts Festival, the Pilot Dance Festival in Fort Worth, Texas.  The organization is currently guided by Director, Choreographer and Dancer, Adam Castaneda, who has served in this role since 2015. 

Second Annual Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival Official Schedule

Saturday, September 2, 2023

Mariafernanda Baron
Adam Castaneda/The Pilot Dance Project
Dorianne Castillo/Houston Community College Central Dance Ensemble
Bonnie Cox and Erica Saucedo/Geografia (Austin, TX)
Estefania Valle Cruz
Elisa De La Rosa Dance Company (Denton, TX)
Cynthia Garcia
M. Gabriela Estrada                                                                       
Marta Kimberly Hernandez
Jordan Habibi
Fernando Ibarra Rocha
Julia Rubio
Andrew Smith

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