TACA Announces Pop-Up Grants for January and February
TACA is thrilled to spotlight these exceptional Pop-Up Grant recipients! These dynamic productions celebrate a wide range of artistic expression, inviting us to rediscover familiar stories through fresh perspectives and immerse ourselves in the creativity of the Dallas arts community.
The Flame Foundation and AT&T Performing Arts Center
MACHO FLAMENCO: Boys Don’t Dance
Unrestricted Grant: $2,500 Pop-Up Grant
Artist Bonus Funds: $5,000 Artist Bonus Funding
The production of Macho Flamenco: Boys Don’t Dance, produced by the FLAME foundation in collaboration with The Ochre House is a bold and unapologetic celebration of flamenco in its purest form. Fusing hip-hop and global dance influences and supported by dynamic live music, this production weaves powerful choreography, melodic guitar solos, soulful “cante” (song), commanding percussion, and striking visual design into a seamless exploration of identity, masculinity, and artistic calling. This deeply personal and mystical journey challenges the “machismo” rooted in the tradition of male “bailador” (dancer), blending masculine and feminine energies as one artist deconstructs cultural expectations and rises into a transformative expression of flamenco that resonates powerfully across generations.
The Flame Foundation was founded by flamenco dancer and theater actress Delilah Buitrón and culinary chef/musician Troy Gardner. The mission of The Flame Foundation is to educate and promote knowledge, skill, and appreciation of the performing and visual arts to children and adults in Dallas TX. Our primary focus is in Flamenco dance, music, and its history. “Flame brings the art of the ages to the families of today”. Keep in touch with The Flame Foundation on on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Elevator Project is a series of performances by Dallas-based arts groups, presented on the AT&T Performing Arts Center campus. The series provides performance space in the Dallas Arts District to local talent, while giving audiences exposure to the vibrant arts scene around them. Drawing from all genres of performing arts, the projects are chosen through an annual submission process and curated by an independent panel of arts professionals. The Elevator Project was created in 2014 by the AT&T Performing Arts Center and is presented with generous support from the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture.
There is no better place to explore and experience live performing arts than the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District. On its vibrant 10-acre downtown campus, the nonprofit Center operates three of the nation’s finest performance venues: the Winspear Opera House (the best stage for Broadway in North Texas), Wyly Theatre, Strauss Square and the welcoming public green space, Sammons Park. Keep in touch with AT&T Performing Arts Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Echo Theatre
Silhouettes
Unrestricted Grant: $2,500 Pop-Up Grant
Artist Bonus Funds: $5,000 Artist Bonus Funding
Silhouettes follows Naima, a Black woman in her 30s, and Ashley, an Asian American teen, who meet in a waiting room in Chicago, seeking abortions. Though they couldn’t be more different, the women share a brief moment in time in which they confront family expectations, fears around parenthood, intersecting systems of oppression, and the reality that access to choice has never been guaranteed.
In a joint statement, Ealey and Afsar said Silhouettes was born from their need to process the emotional and political aftermath of Roe’s fall. “We continue to see that history is cyclical and equity is fleeting,” they said. “But when policy fails, art has the opportunity to step in. Silhouettes is a musical about choice, sisterhood, and intergenerational courage.” They added that presenting the work in Dallas reflects their commitment to community-building in states like Texas, where bans and restrictions have made women and gender minorities particularly vulnerable. “We want this musical to be a safe and brave haven amid attempts to create a culture of fear and a reminder that people are not alone.
Echo Theatre is the Southwest’s premier theatrical organization dedicated to producing work created by women+, now featuring a main stage season, an internationally-downloaded podcast, writing workshops, and a salon series of free play readings. To celebrate 25 years of women+ voices on stage, Echo Theatre kicked off its main stage season with A Celebration of Lauren Gunderson, a mini-festival featuring two dynamic productions from America’s most produced playwright. Echo Theatre champions the diverse voices of women+. Keep in touch with Echo Theatre on Facebook and X.
WHAT’S A POP-UP GRANT?
We started our Pop-Up Grant program to shine a light on arts organizations creating programming that demonstrates exceptional quality, innovation, and accessibility safely, without skimping on the creative impact.
HOW DO YOU PICK THE RECIPIENTS?
Grant recipients are meticulously selected via a nomination process that incorporates over 60 anonymous volunteers. Nominations are made each month and a selection committee meets afterward to determine grantees based on our criteria above.