Come Celebrate the Official Release of
Tales of Lost Southtown, a novel by Erik Bosse
Join author Erik Bosse as he reads selections from Tales of Lost Southtown. This new novel published by FlowerSong Press examines loss as seen through the lens of gentrification as it has impacted the older neighborhoods of San Antonio. The book maintains a tone of warm humor and an appreciation of the absurd, allowing this collection of interconnected stories to catch a glimpse of a hopeful future amid a prevailing era of uncertain change.
There will be a conversation facilitated by Lisa Cortez-Walden, Ph.D. There will also be an opportunity to purchase copies of the book.
This event is free and open to the public.
Saturday, June 7th, 2025. 4pm – 6pm.
URBAN-15 Studio at 2500 S. Presa
Join URBAN-15’s annual celebration of the Summer Solstice at the San Antonio International Airport! The performance, choreographed and performed by URBAN-15 Artistic Director Catherine Cisneros, celebrates the longest day of the year under artist Christopher Janney’s solar/sound sculpture “Passing Light”. This transparent multi-colored plexiglass installation is designed to cast stunning colored shadows into the Parking Nave at the airport. Once a year, at 2pm Central Time, on the Summer Solstice, this multi-colored shadow grid pattern aligns perfectly with black-line grid painted on the floor for less than a minute as the Sun passes directly overhead. The audio aspect of the installation is a 56-speaker “spatial sound” composition. It consists of long harmonic, mellifluous tones (harp, vibe, acoustic guitar) reverberating off of the hard concrete surfaces of the garage, similar in effect to music in a stone cathedral. This performance will be free to watch live in person, as well as via livestream at URBAN-15’s Facebookand Instagram pages.
Cisneros’ choreography incorporates the changing colors penetrating the environment. Her movements are designed to bring a ceremonial awareness of our planet’s humble travels within a celestial clock, evoking the elaborate rituals performed by the ancient Egyptians, Aztecs, Celts, Mayans, Hindis, Incas and others to make visible the moment of solar zenith.
The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, respectively, in the sense that the length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a maximum for the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year (near June 20/22) is when the Sun is farthest North. In the Southern Hemisphere, winter and summer solstices are exchanged. The Summer Solstice marks the first day of the season of summer. – Eric Weissten’s “World of Astronomy”
Join URBAN-15 at the majestic Confluence Park at 1pm CST on Saturday, May 31, for a spectacular day of celebration at the San Antonio River Foundation’s Pollinator Tea Party! Attendees will enjoy an all new piece by URBAN-15’s Dance and Drum Ensemble created in celebration of this event. Come out to learn how URBAN-15’s ensemble has created original choreography and musical compositions inspired by the pollinators that surround us every day!
The Pollinator Tea Party will occur on Saturday, May 31, from 10am – 2pm CST, andis a free, family-friendly, zero-waste event that celebrates pollinators through immersive nature-based activities, environmental education, and sustainable practices during the spring Monarch Butterfly migration. Guests will be treated to performances and hands-on experiences including butterfly releases,recipe scavenger hunts, and a Critter Café!
URBAN-15 announces their Dance Ensemble will once again participate in Global Water Dances, a biennial multinational and community-oriented event that takes place at different water-related sites around the world. The Ensemble’s performance will be filmed at Padre Park with a piece evoking the flow of water along the San Antonio River. This video performance will premiere at youtube.com/GlobalWaterDances/streams on Saturday, June 14, 2025, as part of a streamed video collage made up of a hundred performances.
This year’s performance is once again choreographed by URBAN-15’s Artistic Director Catherine Cisneros. It is a collaboration with Sister Martha Ann Kirk of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. The two have participated in Global Water Dances since 2017, with this piece marking their fifth year of participation.
Global Water Dances connects and supports a global community of choreographers and dancers to inspire action and international collaboration for water issues through the universal language of dance. It is a biennial event, taking place every other year. The first event took place in June 2011 where 57 locations came together for a 24 hour movement around the world. For more information about Global Water Dances, please visit globalwaterdances.org .
At the heart of Global Water Dances is a deep understanding that both WATER and MOVEMENT are connecting forces in our world. Global Water Dances promotes unity and togetherness through movement, using the arts to transform awareness into action on the local and global scales. Every event shares a structure where dancers around the world perform the same movements to the same music, on the same day, near bodies of water, from ocean beaches to plaza fountains. This creates a unifying global experience that transcends language and sends a synchronized global message of urgency and hope.
“Our work is about connection,” says Global Water Dances Artistic Director Vannia Ibarguen, “between body and planet, art and action, local and global: Dance helps us tell the story of water in ways people can feel—and remember.”
Now more than ever, we need artists to tell stories that move people into action. Global Water Dances mobilizes artists as leaders in the conversation about protecting water, empowering them as catalysts for change. Choreographers initiate collaborations with community groups, Indigenous leaders, scientists, youth, and environmental organizations to create impactful events that ripple far beyond the performance day – inspiring ongoing advocacy, education, and collaboration in the communities the events touch.
Since its launch in 2011, Global Water Dances has been organizing and promoting this event every two years; events are free and open to the public. They are also recorded and live-streamed to boost the visibility and to make it possible for anyone, anywhere, to witness and participate.
Global Water Dances is an effective platform for advocacy, education and empowerment, impacting thousands and reminding us that water is life – and that art can move people to action.
URBAN-15 is excited to announce their participation in the San Pedro Creek Cultural Park’s Grand Finale Celebration, taking place on Thursday May 15, 2025 at 7 PM CST. The performance will be a 15-minute celebration of nature and the forces of water, light, sound and wildlife of the creek. It is an evolution of URBAN-15’s mixed media performances at San Pedro Creek’s Grand Opening Ceremonies of Phase I in 2018 and Phase II in 2022. The event will feature 15 dancers in flowing costumes and large dreamcatchers, as well as 9 percussionists, who will perform an original work composed for the occasion.
URBAN-15 seeks talented drummers with experience from high school, college, or any musical group for the 2026-2027 season of performances. These performances include a wide variety events, including Dia de Los Muertos, Luminaria, and International Festivals. Interested drummers are invited to call (210) 736-1500 or email events@urban15.org, and to join URBAN-15’s drum ensemble during open rehearsals Thursdays at 7pm at 2500 S. Presa. This Open Call is FREE to join, and open to all members of the community regardless of age, race, or gender identity.
Drummers enrolled into the Open Call will practice the ensemble’s various performance styles and genres, including Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and experimental rhythms. Final selections to join the URBAN-15 Percussion Ensemble will take place at the end of the Open Call period during a formal tryout. Those selected to join will be expected to participate in the majority of the season’s performances as well as perform in gear such as illuminated costumes, helmets, and masks alongside URBAN-15’s Dance Ensemble. URBAN-15’s ensembles are close knit groups, and may lead to professional connections within or outside the musical sphere. Ensemble members are also asked to volunteer for miscellaneous duties such as parking assistance, kitchen aid, guest ushering, and more.
Poetry lovers, celebrate! URBAN-15 announces the 2025 Mega Corazón Poetry Festival will premiere on Wednesday, April 16th at 8pm! Join us at our livestream page, urban15.org/live-stream, for this powerful marathon of words by 17 of San Antonio’s most renowned poets. The steam will run continuously on a 24/7 loop through the end of National Poetry Month, and audiences will have a chance to vote for their favorite poet online at urban15.org. This vote will determine the winner of Mega Corazón, who will be awarded the $500 “Gregg Barrios Precious Words Prize”.
URBAN-15 challenged the participating poets this year to produce impactful work that will resonate with audiences during these times of uncertainty. The poets all answered this call and provided some of the finest readings in Megan Corazón’s history. This work will include readings from past and present San Antonio Poets Laureate, including Carmen Tafolla, Octavio Quintanilla, Andrea “Vocab’ Sanderson, Eddie Vega, and a wide array of talented voices.
Mega Corazón presents an incredible opportunity for audiences around the globe to celebrate National Poetry Month with some of Texas’ premiere poets. Join us for this incredible marathon on Wednesday, April 16th at 8pm over at urban15.org/live-stream, and cast your votefor the “Gregg Barrios Precious Words Prize” at urban15.org.
The 2025 Mega Corazón Poets Are:
Anthony “The Poet” Flores • Eduardo Garza • Jim Lavilla-Havelin • Don Mathis • Amalia Ortiz Octavio Quintanilla • Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson • Alejandra Sánchez Alanís • Carmen Tafolla • Jessica Tilton • Natalia Treviño • Eddie Vega • Nathan “Nate Zen” Zertuche • John Phillip Santos Frances Treviño Santos • Joyous Windrider • Jen Yañes-Alaniz
Artist and activist, Jacque Salame is proud to announce the w-i-p (work-in-progress) performance of “Happy Birthday Mom HBDM,” produced by Salame, on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at 8 PM at Urban 15, located at 2500 S. Presa, San Antonio, TX. Doors will open at 7:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased at the door and are pay-what-you-can. For further inquiries or media requests, please contact Jacque at the provided contact information.
Inspired by true events, “Happy Birthday Mom HBDM,” is a groundbreaking multidisciplinary dance performance that delves into the pressing issues of law enforcement practices and police brutality. Through an innovative combination of original music, dance, animation, dialogue, and spoken word, this performance provides a poignant exploration of systemic injustices faced by marginalized communities.
The narrative follows a mother on her birthday who discovers her son is missing. In her desperate search, she encounters a harrowing experience when she is pulled over, assaulted, and arrested by a LaVernia police officer. Meanwhile, her son endures a constitutionally questionable interrogation by I.C.E., lasting three days. This one-hour presentation offers a raw and powerful look into the lives of working-class families and underscores the urgent need for criminal justice reform.
Jacque Salame emphasizes the importance of this narrative: “You are not alone. The violence that happened to you has happened to many of us. It is not your fault.” This statement serves as a rallying cry for those affected by similar experiences and highlights the collective struggle for justice and recognition. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience a performance that seeks to challenge perceptions and inspire change.
URBAN-15 is pleased to announce the 12 winning filmmakers from the 2024 Josiah Media Festival! The 18th iteration of this international film showcase saw submissions from all over the globe, screening films from over 20 of those nations. These films have been awarded the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place positions in each of the four respective film categories; narrative, documentary, animation and experimental. URBAN-15 congratulates these filmmakers for their important contribution to independent film around the world.
All 12 films will be streamed in a “Winners Only” stream every weekend in March, beginning on Saturday, Mar. 1, 2025. URBAN-15 invites all participating filmmakers, as well as their friends, family and all other film aficionados, to tune in to the livestream event at urban15.org/live-stream .
Narrative category winners
• 1st place – “Never Free” dir. Linden Dodson, age 21, from Austin, Texas
• 2nd place – “Endless” dir. Bekzhan Amantayev, age 20, from Almaty, Kazakhstan
• 3rd place – “Growing Pains” dir. Molly Ulvsrod Koldso, age 18, from Hvidovre, Denmark
Documentary category winners
• 1st place – “On-Corps” dir. Ireland Robinson, age 21, from San Antonio, Texas
• 2nd place – “Guiding Light” dir. India Anne Mitchell, age 14, from Petaluma, California
• 3rd place – “Summer Before Prague” dir. Leesha Grant, 15, from Montreal, Canada
Animation category winners
• 1st place – “Cycle” dir. Wong Ka Chun, age 21, from Tsing Yi, Hong Kong
• 2nd place – “Memory Emporium” dir. Michael Allred, age 21, from Wellington, New Zealand
• 3rd place – “Nochar” dir. Felix Lipp, age 21, from Munich, Germany
Experimental category winners
• 1st place – “Three Colours” dir. by Lana Gredelj, age 15, from Kutina, Croatia
• 2nd place – “In A Foreign Land” dir. by Ada Lemberg, age 21, from Pozan, Poland
• 3rd place – “4 Thoughts on Womanhood from a 21 Year Old Little Girl” dir. by Allison Frankfort, age 22, from Detroit, Michigan
URBAN-15
