A two-day festival celebrating experimental Latine art, music and film touches down this Friday and Saturday at dadaLab in East Austin, headlined by abstract turntablist Maria Chávez, whose work uses broken vinyl. Future Traditions Fest 2026 brings performers, filmmakers and creatives from across the country to the Rosewood neighborhood venue for a program that spans short films, cello performances paired with live painting, and Afro-Puerto Rican bomba reimagined with electronics.
The festival is the brainchild of Dr. Jeannelle Ramirez, who founded the event in 2019 after receiving a Rainwater Innovation Grant from the University of Texas at Austin, debuting the showcase as a free public event at the Museum of Human Achievement that paired traditional Latine music with electronic composers, according to Future Traditions. Ramirez holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from UT Austin and now serves as a program manager at Texas Folklife, sits on the executive board of the Cine Las Americas film festival, and reviews grants for the National Endowment for the Arts, per Cine Las Americas. As KXAN Austin reports, Ramirez joined the station's Studio 512 program to describe the festival as a platform dedicated to showcasing experimental and forward-thinking work from Latine creators across multiple disciplines.
Friday's Film Lineup Explores Migration and Identity
The festival opens Friday with a film showcase featuring more than 10 short films by Latine filmmakers, spotlighting emerging and established creators exploring diverse themes through experimental storytelling and visual expression, per the KXAN report. Curated by Luna Vela under the theme sueños – lejanos / cercanos / tejanos, the program includes the docushort Texas Pride, directed by Claudia E. Zapata, according to Humanitix. Zapata's short focuses on Austin's LGBTQ+ community and premiered at the Dallas Latino Film Festival earlier this year, per the same listing.
Saturday Blends Sound, Movement and Multimedia
Saturday shifts to live performances at the intersection of music, improvisation and sound art, continuing through the evening. Headliner Maria Chávez, described by the station as an acclaimed DJ and abstract sound artist, was born in Lima and works in Abstract Turntablism, using broken vinyl and chance-based approaches.
Saturday's bill also includes an artist talk with George and Catherine Cisneros, founders of San Antonio-based group URBAN-15, an influential arts organization in Central Texas that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024, per the San Antonio Report.
San Francisco-based vocalist and composer Roco Córdova, described by KXAN as known for experimental musical works, will perform Pasados/Futuros, a set combining vocal electronic improvisation with traditional Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music alongside local percussionist Adam Rosario and dancer Karolina Arocho, Humanitix notes. The performance is inspired by the festival title. Also on the bill, cellist Joey Reyes — called a renowned cellist and multidisciplinary artist by the station — joins visual artist Trey Abraham for About Face, a 50-minute interdisciplinary set combining live cello performance, projected visuals and live painting centered on pareidolia, the human tendency to perceive faces in inanimate objects, per the Humanitix listing.
An East Austin Venue Sets the Stage
The festival's home base, dadaLab at 2008 Alexander Ave in East Austin, is the venue, according to Visit Austin.
Future Traditions Fest receives support from the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division, according to Future Traditions.
Festival organizers describe the event as a platform for celebrating the evolving landscape of Latine art and culture while encouraging creative exploration and collaboration, with the goal of creating space for emerging artistic voices and fostering dialogue and connection, per KXAN's report. Ticket, schedule and festival updates are available at futuretraditionsfest.com and through the festival's social media accounts.
