Chicago's fourth annual Latino Dance Festival kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Logan Center for the Arts, with a closing celebration set for Sunday, Oct. 11, at 3 p.m. at the Humboldt Park Fieldhouse. Both events are free to attend, though organizers are requesting RSVPs and a $20 donation is suggested.
The festival is produced by the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago, which describes this year's lineup as fourteen dance companies performing across the two free public events. The Chicago Park District, meanwhile, frames the 2026 edition differently, calling it a three-event celebration featuring 20 performing groups across multiple venues, according to a Chicago Park District listing. The two accounts don't fully align on scale, and neither source lists a complete lineup for every date.
Casa Triana Flamenco is scheduled to perform at the Oct. 11 closing event in Humboldt Park, bringing what organizers call the fire and soul of Andalusian flamenco, blending music and dance. Casa Triana Flamenco is a Chicago-based company that offers Spanish dance education through classes and performance opportunities, and students from the group are also set to perform at the festival, as reported by CBS Chicago.
Two Co-Founders, Two Continents, One Dance Form
Claudia Pizarro, who is originally from Mexico, and Javier Saume Mazzei, who is originally from Venezuela, co-founded Casa Triana Flamenco, and dancers with the company study flamenco dance as part of its programming. Per CBS Chicago's report, Pizarro has said sharing her passion with students at the festival is special to her, and she has said flamenco classes can provide an escape from home and personal problems for those who study it. She has also spoken about pursuing her passion and working every day.
Saume Mazzei has said his teaching includes culture as well as music and dance, and that his own immigrant experience connects him to flamenco's history — according to CBS Chicago, flamenco was brought to Spain by immigrants and spread throughout Europe from there. Saume Mazzei has connected immigrants with seeking a better life. Together, the pair have said flamenco's roots are connected to the spirit of the festival itself, and they hope to inspire Latinos and Hispanos to pursue their passions through the art form.
What Flamenco Brings to the Festival Stage
Flamenco is recognized globally as an artistic expression that fuses song, dance and musicianship, with Andalusia in southern Spain considered its heartland, according to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, which inscribed the tradition in 2010. UNESCO notes that flamenco is passed down through dynasties, families, social groups and flamenco clubs, all of which help preserve and spread the art form generation to generation.
The Humboldt Park event is set to feature five local groups. The Chicago Park District listing describes the festival as the only Pan-Latino dance festival in the city. The event is a partnership between Night Out in the Parks and the International Latino Cultural Center.
Casa Triana's Reach Beyond the Festival
Casa Triana Flamenco has kept a busy calendar beyond the festival circuit. The company is listed for an intimate evening of live flamenco at Sabor a Café in Niles, a performance described by See Chicago Dance as featuring powerful dance alongside live guitar, singing and percussion.
CBS Chicago describes the Chicago Latino Dance Festival as offering attendees a tour of the world without leaving the city, and reports it runs across two days this year. With opening night at the Logan Center approaching Tuesday and the Humboldt Park closing set for Oct. 11, both remain free with RSVP requested and a suggested $20 donation.
