3rd Annual Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival

The Pilot Dance Project 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.”

COMPLETE ROSTER:
Mariafernanda Baron
Adam Castaneda/The Pilot Dance Project
Dorianne Castillo/Houston Community College Central Dance Ensemble
Bonnie Cox and Erica Saucedo/Geografia (Austin, TX)
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