The 2010 National Geographic Live series continues in April with a mix of music, movies, and food. The National Geographic Museum is offering up another two pairs of tickets for WeLoveDC readers, unless otherwise noted. Simply comment below (PLEASE use a legit email address and your first name) with what two events – in preferred order – you’d like to attend. We’ll do a random drawing on Wednesday, April 7 at 10 a.m. and get the winners set up with their first (or second, if your first choice is full) selection. Keep in mind that tickets are for single events only.

2501 Migrants: A Journey ($10)
April 7, 7 pm

This 2008 Mexican film documents Oaxacan artist Alejandro Santiago’s creative response to the impact of migration on rural Mexico. A discussion with the filmmaker, seven-time award-winning director Yolanda Cruz, will follow the film. Washington, D.C. premiere.

Chocolate: From Bean to Bar ($80) *not eligible for drawing*
April 14, 7 pm

Explore the world of chocolate at this tasting with DC’s own chocolate aficionado and owner of Biagio Fine Chocolate, Biagio Abbatiello, and internationally acclaimed chocolate maker Steve DeVries. With these experts, you’ll savor your way through the history, personalities, and flavors behind this alluring treat that the ancient Maya and Aztecs called “The Elixir of the Gods.” Bring your sweet tooth, a loved one, and a sense of culinary adventure to the sweetest event of the National Geographic Live spring season.

WeLoveDC’s Jenn Larsen will have a review of the tasting after the event.

America’s Endangered Species ($18)
April 20, 7:30 pm

In his new National Geographic book, Rare: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species, veteran photographer Joel Sartore offers 80 masterful images of threatened life forms, along with an informative review of the history and purpose of the Endangered Species Act. Step behind the camera with him as he shares the stories behind living things that may soon disappear from the world. Images from this book are also on display at the National Geographic Museum through Oct. 11.

Tracing the Family ($18)
April 21, 7:30 pm

Using information about his own DNA that he obtained by participating in National Geographic’s Genographic Project, writer Donovan Webster traced his family back to the first human beings. In his new National Geographic book, Meeting the Family: One Man’s Journey Through His Human Ancestry, and in this presentation, he recounts his own travels in the footsteps of his ancestors from Tanzania’s Rift Valley through the Middle East and Central Asia, through Europe and to North America.

The Rhythm Road – American Music Abroad (Free)
April 22, 6 pm

The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is designed to foster cultural exchange worldwide. Between March and December 2010, ten talented American jazz, urban, gospel, blues, and roots music artists will visit Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans. International tour activities include concerts, workshops, demonstrations, and collaborations with local musicians.

Performers:
Mark Sherman-Time Horner Quartet (6 pm) bring a deeply-rooted post-bop jazz approach to original and standard compositions.
Oscar Williams, Jr. and Perfected Praise (7:15 pm) are an award-winning gospel ensemble with a spiritually refreshing sound.

Next performances in series are June 3 & June 17.

An Evening with Pico Iyer ($25)
April 29, 7:30 pm

One of our most prolific and articulate writers on globalism and the new age of travel, Pico Iyer is the author of numerous acclaimed works of fiction and non-fiction, including Video Night in Kathmandu, The Lady and the Monk, Falling off the Map, The Global Soul, and The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Iyer will be interviewed by Don George, an award-winning travel writer and Contributing Editor and Book Columnist for National Geographic Traveler, in a wide-ranging conversation on the challenges and rewards of travel in the 21st century, the nature of home, and the abiding allure of the planet’s far-flung places. A book-signing will follow.

The Sippy Cups ($16)
May 1, Noon/3 pm

This Bay Area band makes its third visit to National Geographic with a show that promises to dazzle the eyes and thrill the ears. With their magnetic mix of psychedelic-flavored originals, colorful puppets, and amazing juggling feats, the Sippy Cups always put on a show that appeals to all ages. The group’s latest album, The Time Machine, is a winner of a 2009 Parents’ Choice Recommended award.

In the Empire of Ice ($18)
May 4, 7:30 pm

For a National Geographic-supported expedition, writer Gretel Ehrlich circumnavigated the Arctic Circle to document the indigenous cultures inhabiting its starkly beautiful landscapes, as advancing climate change threatens traditional ways of life. In her new book, Empire of Ice: Encounters in a Changing Landscape, and in this presentation, she tells the story of her journey to explore the “ecology of culture.”

Coming in May (not eligible for April’s drawing):

A Come to Cheeses Moment: Wine vs. Beer – May 5 (tasting)
Need, Greed, and a Sustainable Future – May 12 (speaker; rescheduled from February 9)
Adventures Among Ants – May 13 (lecture)
Meet Dr. Bugs – May 15 (kids)
A River Runs Dry – May 17 (speaker)
New Beers of Scandinavia – May 18 (tasting)