Charles Santos, a native of San Antonio, has had an extensive career in the field of presenting, performing and producing.  He danced professionally for nine years before moving to producing and presenting.  In 1992 he founded the Austin Festival of Dance, benefiting AIDS Services of Austin.  The festival grew to national stature with companies such as Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, New York City Ballet, Parsons Dance Company, San Francisco Ballet and many more participating year after year.  2001 marked the 10th anniversary of this national benefit dance festival which has served as a model for subsequent festival/benefits across the country.  The Festival and Mr. Santos have received numerous awards such as the Texas Human Rights Foundation Award and the HRC award, as well as recognition from the Texas Governor.  Mr. Santos has served on the Boards for AIDS Services of Austin, Sharir Dance Company, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Christopher House, the National Advisory Board for the Estate Project, the National Development Board for the African American Dance Ensemble, TACA’s Board of Governors, EOS Orchestra,  KERA’s Hispanic Advisory Board, the Dallas Dance Council, Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts Advisory Board, and the Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs Latino Cultural Arts Programming Committee. Mr. Santos moved to New York in December 1995 to further his career in arts management as the Managing Director/Development Director for Eos Orchestra.  While in New York, he continued his connection with Texas by producing the annual festival in Austin.  He continued his career as the Producer for Dancers Responding to AIDS (DRA), a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.  At DRA he produced events with such luminaries as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Bebe Neuwirth, as well as creating a national grassroots fundraising program with thousands of dance students across the country and presenting major national and international dance companies in spectacular festivals/benefits. Before accepting his position at TITAS as executive director, he was the managing director/ producer for the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in New York, producing the highly acclaimed Evening Stars series at the World Trade Center.  Evening Stars was named as part of “The Best of New York” festivals for the extraordinarily high caliber of music and dance artists being presented annually on the plaza of the World Trade Center. The final festival was cut short by the events of September 11th, from which Mr. Santos and his staff all narrowly escaped safely. Mr. Santos began his tenure as executive director for TITAS – Extraordinary Dance and Music on October 1, 2001.  TITAS, now entering its 21st season, has established itself as the premiere presenter of cutting edge arts and innovative programming.  Under the direction of Mr. Santos, TITAS is making strong forays into new sectors of the community with a strong emphasis on collaborations.  They are interested in developing new partnerships, not only with other cultural organizations, but also with organizations like Stonewall Business Association, HRC, GLAAD, Latino and African American Chambers of Commerce, etc.  TITAS looks forward to continued growth as an integral part of the diverse North Texas cultural landscape.

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