Danzas en Tarima 2025

Open call for choreographers!

HAPAA Houston and Another River Interdisciplinary Ensemble invite you to be part of the first edition of the Danzas en Tarima 2025 festival, which will take place from September 5 to 7, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at CAROL Theater (8600 Westpark Dr, STE 116 Houston, TX).

 🌎 About the festival

What is a Tarima (platform) ?
A Tarima (stage) is a wooden platform with deep roots in African and Mexican dance and music traditions. In addition to serving as a stage, it can function as a percussion instrument when the performer creates rhythms by dancing on it. For this festival, the stage will be a rectangular space measuring 8 ft x 8 ft, 6 in high (approximately 2.4 m x 2.4 m x 15 cm high).

🧭 Topic 2025: Migration

We seek socially engaged dance works that address migration, understood in multiple dimensions: borders, displacement, identities, cultural intersections, social justice, and more. We value proposals that enrich diversity, inclusion, and gender equity in the dance field in Texas.

The selection panel is composed of a select group of choreographers, artistic administrators, and teaching artists. The choreographers, collaborators, and dance companies submitting their work will be selected based on the following criteria:

1. Clear intention of the work;
2. Connection with the artist’s community through the subject matter of his or her work; and
3. Relevance of the work’s theme to the festival’s theme and related topics such as identity, borders/barriers, displacement, intersections, relationships between cultures, and social justice.

All artists will be notified by 11:59 PM CST on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. Participating choreographers will receive compensation of $83 per performance (three performances for a total of $249) for their participation.

For more information and questions about Danzas en Tarima 2025, please call 832-431-9823 or email contact@hapaa.org

✨ Who can apply to the Houston choreographer call?

This call for choreographers in Houston is open to artists of any movement aesthetic.

• Independent choreographers

• Dance companies

• Interdisciplinary collectives

• Collaborators with projects focused on movement

✅ Selection criteria

Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of artists, choreographers, and cultural managers based on:

• Clarity in artistic intention

• Community connection through the theme

• Relevance to the festival theme 

💸 Compensation

If you’re looking for a venue for choreographers in Houston that will provide exposure and honors, this festival is for you.

Selected choreographers will receive compensation of $83 USD per performance (Three performances for a total of $249 USD) for their participation.

📅 Important dates

• Closing date: July 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM

• Notification of results: Wednesday, August 6, 2025

• Festival dates: September 5, 6, and 7, 2025