About Kiz ATX — Rooted in the Culture, Leading it Forward
Kiz ATX is Austin's kizomba community — a decade of work investing in the Austin kizomba scene and beyond, grounded in cultural integrity, run by people who know exactly where this music and dance come from.
Who We Are
Kiz ATX is the home for kizomba and Urban Kiz in Austin. We run weekly practicas, workshops, and events that connect Austin dancers to the broader kizomba world — without losing sight of what this artform is and where it's from. Kizomba is a living tradition — created by Black people, carried forward by Black communities across the diaspora, and deserving of that same ownership and reverence here.
What We Stand For
- Anti-racism: This community is explicitly anti-racist. That's a standard we hold ourselves and this space to.
- Black ownership & education: Kizomba and Urban Kiz were created by Black people across the diaspora. When you step into this space, you're stepping into that lineage.
- Consent & communication: Partner dancing is a consent practice. We use our words, we check in, we don't assume.
The Origin: NeoKiz
In 2014, Charles Ogar founded the Neo Kizomba Festival — the event that put Austin on the kizomba map and started the decade of community-building that made this scene real. NeoKiz is still a living brand — the origin of everything Kiz ATX is built on.
Charles Ogar
Charles Ogar is the founder and driving force behind Kiz ATX. Educator, organizer, creative technologist, decade-deep practitioner of kizomba and Urban Kiz. He built WhereCanWeDance and leads NeoKiz alongside Kiz ATX.