Olivia Flores Alvarez

Texas

Night + Day Editor for the Houston Press. Long-time arts writer. Native Houstonian. My first name is Olivia but there isn't enough room for it the name box.

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Articles

Latino/a/x Dance Festival Highlights the Power of Performance and Identity

1 week ago | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

Things take a political tone when Gabriel Mata appears at the 5th Annual Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival this weekend. Mata, an openly gay man, premieres “Con Angel,” a duet conceived with Angel Ramirez, as a solo. The title means With Angel in Spanish. Both Mata and the queer Ramirez (he/them) are based in Washington, D.C., but Ramirez, who is originally from El Salvador, was unwilling to risk traveling to Texas for the festival because of irregularities in their immigrant status.
Todd Waite Retires from the Alley Theatre with Final Turn as Sherlock Holmes

3 weeks ago | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

Actor Todd Waite says goodbye to his signature character in Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery this month. After performing in 135 productions with the Alley Theatre over the last 25 years, Waite is retiring as a member of the resident company. Now 65, Waite once said he didn’t want to appear as an elderly Sherlock. While he loves the character and enjoys exploring the role, he’s afraid the audience would reject a doddering detective.
Montrose Country Club: Houston’s New Hub for Dining, Poolside Fun, Nightlife

3 weeks ago | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, long known as the city’s LGBTQ epicenter, is about to welcome an exciting new addition to its entertainment and dining landscape. The Montrose Country Club, an upscale-yet-accessible restaurant, day club, and nightlife venue, officially opened its doors on March 14.
MFAH’s “Tamara de Lempicka” Retrospective: A Journey of Talent, Glamour, and Secrecy

3 weeks ago | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

She was smart. She was sexy. She was savvy. Most importantly, she was incredibly talented. “Tamara de Lempicka,” a retrospective of the Polish-born painter currently on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), chronicles both her daring work and her even more daring life. The exhibition opens with a wall-size image of the bisexual Lempicka. She is glamorous, chic, staring boldly into the camera, yet half of her face is in shadow.
Pops Conductor Steven Reineke Gets Wicked

3 weeks ago | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

British actor/singer Cynthia Erivo is just one Oscar away from joining the EGOT club (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards, a rarely achieved standard of excellence). With two Oscar nominations already to her credit, there’s no doubt she’ll soon be among that exalted company. Erivo has just completed a whirlwind awards season where she promoted her most recent film, the blockbuster Wicked. Now the openly queer Erivo is coming to appear in two concerts with the Houston Symphony.
Mix-MATCH Festival: Celebrating Houston’s Diverse Arts Scene

Dec 30, 2024 | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

On any given day, the Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston, better known as MATCH, regularly offers local audiences a wildly varied lineup of performances. Few days, however, offer the expansive diversity seen during the second annual Mix-MATCH Festival. “This is such a unique space,” says Dennis Draper, MATCH’s director of patron services. “On any weekend, you can find dance, music, film, and the occasional cat band at MATCH.
Unseen Bonds and Imagined Histories

Nov 4, 2024 | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

The 2020 COVID pandemic partly inspired the two exhibits currently at the Houston Center for Photography (HCP). Anne Leighton Massoni, executive director of HCP, is a cultural and medical anthropologist by training. While considering possible exhibition topics recently, she began to ponder the long-term social effects of COVID-19.
Adam Castañeda: Breaking Barriers and Fostering Joy in Dance

Sep 5, 2024 | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

Dancer/choreographer Adam Castañeda was 24 when he took his first ballet class at Houston Community College (HCC). That’s about two decades later than most professional dancemakers start training. It was 2011 and Castañeda, who holds a master’s degree in English, was also teaching at HCC at the time. “I was both an adjunct professor and a student there,” he laughs. Despite his late start, Castañeda embraced dancing. He soon began performing and writing about dance for local publications.
Exploring Multiculturalism and Gender in Art: Sol Diaz-Peña

Aug 1, 2024 | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

Visual artist and organizer Sol Diaz-Peña (they/him) openly lives his life as a multicultural, queer, nonbinary trans person. As a native Houstonian with ethnic ties to Mexico and Cuba, Sol often addresses multiculturalism in his artwork, especially at a time when diversity, equity, and inclusion are not only actively discouraged but on the verge of being outlawed. His gender and sexuality are also frequent subjects in his work.
Artist/Activist Xavier Schipani Creates Trans Representation

Jul 11, 2024 | outsmartmagazine.com | Olivia Flores Alvarez

Visual artist/trans activist Xavier Schipani has a mission: to find a world where the trans masculine male body has context. He looks for it in his art. He looks for it in society. He looks for it in history. When he can’t find it, he creates it. Now almost 40 years old, Schipani transitioned in his late twenties. “I didn’t even realize that there was a trans-masculine population until pretty late in my life,” he tells us.