Texas Folklife and the Latino Cultural Center are partnering to launch the Roots & Rhythms Workshop Series celebrating the living traditions of Texas’
diverse communities through storytelling, music, dance, and visual arts. Each workshop in the program highlights preservation and innovation, allowing community members of all ages to engage with tradition bearers,
learn about folk art practices, and experience cultural heritage first-hand.
Texas Folklife’s mission is to preserve and present the folk and traditional arts of Texas while creating inclusive spaces for intergenerational exchange, cultural education, and community pride.
Each program will run 2–3 hours and will be offered on select dates for 2026 at the Latino Cultural Center.
January 24, 2026 - Storytelling & Oral Traditions (11 a.m. - 2 p.m)
Community tradition bearers share folktales, personal narratives, and myths focusing on intergenerational exchange and bilingual storytelling. Interactive activity: participants create a “community story quilt” with words and drawings.
January 31, 2026 - Folk Music & Instruments (11 a.m. - 2 p.m)
Workshops with musicians in conjunto, mariachi, blues, and Indigenous traditions. Demonstrations of instrument making (e.g., bajo sexto, fiddle, hand drums). Interactive jam session for participants.
February 7, 2026 - Folk Dance Traditions (11 a.m. - 2 p.m)
Dance demonstrations in ballet folklórico, two-step, zydeco, and other Texas traditions. Teaching circles to engage participants in movement.
Culminates with a community social dance.
February 14, 2026 - Visual Folk Art (11 a.m. - 2 p.m)
Hands-on workshops in papel picado, quiltmaking, beadwork, and mural traditions. Emphasis on how folk art reflects identity and place.
Showcase of participant-created art at the end of the series.