Texas Folklife Convening 2026

Storyteller Alba Donajhi Sereno grew up in Mexico and the United States. With more than six generations of family stretched through northern Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, Sereno has kept the knowledge and stories of her family alive. Additionally, for over twenty years, Sereno has been a professional community organizer and worker; in this role, Sereno has often helped others tell their stories to drive systemic change. Within the last few years, Sereno has reflected on the importance of storytelling and says, “the art of storytelling has been perhaps the greatest tool in making change happen.”

PODCAST

Through the stories of community members from Houston’s East End, this episode explores how culture bearers have sustained relationships with the land through transnational plant-ways, affirming their identities in the face of colonization, migration, and neighborhood changes over time. Throughout, Alba Donajhi bears witness and synthesizes her own plant life in her accidental homeland. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19387029

Born: Juventino Rosas Guanajuato Mx.

I studied Visual Arts in México City.  For 38 years I have been dedicated to creating my own artwork, and at the same time designing costumes for documentaries and motion pictures in México, USA, and Canada. I have exhibited my artwork in solo exhibitions and collectively in México, Germany, Costa Rica, Spain, Chile Argentina and USA.

My passion and interest in natural dyes derived from plants, cochineal (insects), and fungi to dye natural fibers and the use of pigment in the artwork, has led me to investigate independently, attend international Symposiums in India, workshops and lectures in Canada, Spain and México. 

I also enjoy practicing the traditional Mexican Cartonería, with the intention of preserving this technique. 

Renowned flamenco singer Chayito Champion began singing at an early age, carrying on her family’s flamenco legacy. She was given the nickname ‘Gitana Americana’ by the late Antonio Montoya, El Farruco. Her recent engagements include: Repertorio Español, Thalia Theatre, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center in New York City. She is the singer for Jácome Flamenco and Carlota Santana Flamenco Vivo. She has toured the world with such artists as the late José Greco, Antonio Vargas, Teo Morca, Antonio Vargas and Pilar Rioja.

Veronica Castillo Hernandez was born in Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico to a family of traditional Mexican folk artisans. With the guidance of her parents, Don Alforno Castillo Orta and Doña Soledad Martha Hernandez Baez, Castillo Hernandez learned the craft of traditional Mexican folk art. Now living in San Antonio, Castillo Hernandez has grown her expertise and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the NEA National Heritage Fellow award. Castillo Hernandez says of her traditional Mexican folk art practice: “From a young age, traditional Mexican folk art has been in my blood. I have learned how to create beautiful pieces of artwork that represent my community’s culture, history, and traditions.”

Virginia Grise is a storyteller from San Antonio, with Chinese-Mexican heritage. She recalls spending much of her childhood in Monterrey at her grandmother’s house, where she would learn the art of storytelling at the kitchen table. Grise says of her storytelling practice: “I believe in the power of telling our stories, that memory is in fact a political act and that valuing our stories teaches us that we are necessary in this world—that what we say, dream, believe matters.”

Adam Rosario is a music therapist (MT-BC), percussionist, and retired US Army infantryman based in Austin, Texas. A lifelong student of Puerto Rican folkloric music, he has shared these traditions with Central Texas communities through performance and education for nearly two decades.

PODCAST

Born in the working-class neighborhoods of Ponce, Puerto Rico, over a century ago, plena is a genre of music that continues to travel wherever Puerto Ricans gather and build community. Communal in nature, it is played at social gatherings of all sorts – celebrations, funerals, protests, and open jam sessions called “plenazos.” In this episode, we will identify the characteristics of plena as defined by practitioners in the Houston, DFW, San Antonio, and Austin areas, and explore how it has been connecting Puerto Rican communities across Texas.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19351420

Sonny K. Mehta is a Houston-based Qawwali musician, educator, and community documentarian whose work centers on South Asian devotional music and interfaith collaboration. Active for over two decades, he has performed and taught Qawwali across the country, working closely with Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, and Christian artists to explore how sacred music travels, adapts, and builds belonging in diaspora communities. Sonny’s practice bridges performance and oral history, combining interviews, and digital storytelling to preserve living traditions rooted in community participation. His documentation focuses on gatherings where music functions as devotion, memory, and social connection. Through the Folk Faiths of Texas project, Sonny seeks to record and share how South Asian Texans sustain plural devotional music practices, creating archival resources that reflect Texas’s everyday interfaith coexistence.

Social Media:
www.instagram.com/riyaazqawwali/
https://www.youtube.com/riyaazqawwali

Imani Aanu (also known as Imani F. Aanu) is an Austin, Texas-based dancer, choreographer, educator, and community cultural organizer. Her work heavily focuses on celebrating and preserving African Diasporic culture, West African and Afro-Brazilian dance traditions, and promoting healing through movement.

Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and raised in “EL pueblo del Grito ” Lares, Puerto Rico. Her town’s history and the people has greatly influence her cultural and musical experience. Since she was little girl, she has demonstrated her love for music and talent for dancing. She has danced for the following dance companies: Ricky’s Dance Academy (Jazz), X-treme Dancers (Pop, Reggeaton, Hip Hop) , UPRAG Dancers (University of Puerto Rico) and N’Point (Jazz, modern dance, ballet). She has enjoyed salsa classes with Ivette Sosa (Lares, Puerto Rico), and took dance classes in St. Edward’s University, while she was finishing her degree in Criminal Justice. Karolina currently works with teenagers that are in treatment and have had traumatic experiences.

Thanks to her passion for her culture she continues to enjoy, sharing her talent with kids and adults who love or wish to know Puerto Rican culture. Karolina moved to Texas in 2009 to attend college. “Failure is not an option” is her personal motivational phrase. She believes that the ultimate measure of leaders is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy. She wants to be a role model for youth and teach them that the only obstacles in life are the ones that they don’t try to overcome! Karolina is a member of PRFDance’s performing company dancers and teaches Youth Dance classes.

Dr. Sreedhara Akkihebbalu is a multifaceted artist and accomplished physician who has seamlessly integrated his medical career with a deep passion for the classical arts. A distinguished Bharatanatyam dancer, Dr. Sreedhara was trained under the revered gurus Sangeet Natak Academy awardee Smt. Narmada and Padmabhushan Smt. Kalanidhi Narayanan, and he holds the unique distinction of being the first male dancer from Karnataka to achieve the status of  ATop Grade Soloist for Television by Prasar Bharati, Government of India.

As the founder and president of Kaveri Natya Yoga, established in 2006, he has dedicated himself to promoting the Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam and Iyengar Yoga in the United States, particularly in Texas. Dr. Sreedhara’s artistic vision has led to the creation of numerous acclaimed productions, including “Ramayana,” “Shakti,” “Radha Madhava,” “Vikramorvashiyam,” “Purandara Dasa”, “Yoga Vibhuti”, “Gita Govinda”, “Shataka Traya”  which have resonated with audiences both in India and the U.S.

In addition to his choreographic achievements, Dr. Sreedhara is highly regarded for his work in music composition, having recorded and released a significant body of work specifically tailored for Bharatanatyam dance. His recordings of compositions by eminent composers such as Jayachamrajendra Wodeyar, Padmacharan, and traditional Kannada Javalis have become invaluable resources for professional dancers worldwide.

These compositions, which were premiered in  Bengaluru and Mysuru, reflect his deep commitment to preserving and innovating classical dance and music. Through these contributions, Dr. Sreedhara not only enriches the artistic practice of his students and peers but also enhances the broader cultural landscape, making his work integral to the continued vibrancy of Bharatanatyam.

Credit: https://natya.org/shridhara-akkihebbalu/

Born and raised in Laredo, Texas, María-Luisa attended the University of Texas at Austin and University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. After a short practice, she followed her spouse to postings in the Netherlands, Singapore, and India. In Singapore, she taught legal research and writing to first year law students at the National University of Singapore. María-Luisa now resides in Houston, Texas.

María-Luisa is an independent scholar focused on the folklore of Tejano culture, a self-described Tejanista. She is currently working on a book. Her previous works have appeared or are forthcoming in Chamisa: A Journal of Visual, Literary and Performance Arts of the Southwest, The Nasiona, and in an anthology, ¡Somos Tejanas! She has presented before the Society of Crypto-Judaic Studies. Her hobbies include both dancing and singing flamenco.

Randy Cordero, Founder of Cordero Flamenco Entertainment, began his career as a professional musician in high school when this self-taught guitarist could be found performing electric guitar in professional venues throughout South Texas. In his youth, Cordero experimented with a variety of rock genres from alternative, gothic, skate, and shoegazer to punk rock. A chance performance by the famous flamenco guitarist, Paco de Lucia, ignited Randy’s deep passion for flamenco guitar. Today, Cordero may be seen performing traditional Spanish flamenco guitar with flamenco dance companies all over Texas or in collaboration with Latin-Jazz guitarists creating a unique blend of flamenco-latin jazz music.

Training. For the last 20 years, Cordero has refined his talents, studying Spanish flamenco guitar all over the US and Spain with prestigious guitarists including Jose Luis Rodriguez, Rene Heredia, Chuscales, Domingo Rubichi, Roberto Castellon, Paco Garrigues, and Kai Narezo. Cordero’s style is a blend of traditional Jerez-style flamenco and contemporary influences. He has worked closely with The Flamenco Poets Society of Houston where his work has received recognition from many organizations, including Poets and Writers, Inc., and author of The Flamenco Academy. Sarah Bird. Randy Cordero and his performance group Suspiro Flamenco are based in San Antonio, Texas and are available for performances worldwide.

BOOKING & INFORMATION. Contact Randy Cordero at losgitanitos@hotmail.com or call: (210) 323-1748.

Andrea participated in the 2022 apprenticeship program as a mentee. She has spent the last two and a half years intensively studying, performing, and exploring her craft. Andrea has demonstrated a mastery level of her art made evident by her win of the prestigious Flamenco Vivo’s Flamenco Certamen USA 2024.

Genevieve is a flamenco dancer and dance maker from San Antonio, Texas, where she began studying flamenco and folklórico in childhood. She has performed with companies across the United States, including Maru Montero Dance Company, Austin Flamenco Dance Company, and Arte y Pasión.

Genevieve has trained with renowned flamenco artists nationally and internationally, traveling to Sevilla and Madrid for intensive study at Amor de Dios and FlamencoDanza. She also regularly attends the Festival Flamenco Internacional de Alburquerque in New Mexico.

She competed in the Flamenco Vivo Certamen (Tablao Division) in New York City and completed a residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park under the mentorship of Isaac Tovar and Florencia Oz.

Genevieve currently teaches youth and adults at Guadalupe Dance Academy in San Antonio. Through teaching, performances, and workshops with international artists, she works to strengthen and grow the flamenco community in Texas while continuing her lifelong dedication to learning and sharing the art of flamenco.