Category Archives: Special Events

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Features
By

Cherry Blossom Festival Opening Day

cherry-blossom-festival-2009

The Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off this past Saturday with a family day and the opening ceremony at the National Building Museum. The interior space of the National Building Museum is always pretty overwhelming, but you could see the stimulus overload on people’s faces the minute they stepped into the great hall. The fountain in the middle of the hall is drained and giant pink (and I mean pink, as you can see above) inflatable cherry blossoms are suspended above it, and all around are booths with activities and crafts for kids and people offering information and selling Cherry Blossom Festival-related wares. Continue reading →

Special Events, The Daily Feed
By

We the People Project

white-house-1

If you’re looking for something a little different this weekend than the Cherry Blossom Festival (which kicks off tomorrow), then maybe you should check out the We the People project this Sunday. This exhibition and performance event is from 2-5 pm at the Gallery W-16 of the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA. And it’s free.

The We the People project honors Women’s History Month and SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now) by highlighting a unique vision of America through the eyes of immigrant and American-born artists.  Continue reading →

Downtown, History, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The Features, Tourism
By

Tourism: Ford’s Theatre

Rehearsal, Ford's Theatre

"Rehearsal, Ford's Theatre" by Jenn Larsen, on Flickr

It seemed eerie and yet fitting that as I was rushing to get to Ford’s Theatre I was delayed by a major traffic jam as the President was attending an event downtown. People were lining the streets to catch a glimpse of the man who counts Lincoln as a guide, and I was on the way to see a tech rehearsal of a musical on the Civil War, in the theater where Lincoln fell. Sometimes the line between the present and the past in this town gets blurred in a truly palpable way. It’s manifest in the remarkable renovation of this living museum.

Ford’s Theatre’s reopening season continues this month with “The Civil War,” a Tony-nominated musical opening tonight and in performance through May 24. I’m very impressed by the renovated space. Last time I saw a show in this theater it was a bit clunky, and that’s being charitable. Now they are up-to-date, with all new lighting, sound and visual equipment – it’s a bit snazzy actually! And those infamously uncomfortable seats and obstructed sightlines are a thing of the past. It looks to be an admirable job updating the theater while maintaining its historical and monumental status.

With all the tourists pouring into our city this week, I hope many of them take the chance to see the renovations and catch a show. “The Civil War” sounded quite rousing musically, a little bit bluesy, with some incredible vocalists, live musicians, and moving visuals. Get some important history mixed in with your cherry blossoms. 

Ford’s Theatre
511 10th Street NW
between E and F Streets
202.347.4833
“The Civil War” performs Tuesdays thru Sundays at 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30pm, now thru May 24

Special Events, The Daily Feed
By

Terps Move on to Regional Play

umd

They’ve done it again! Last night the Maryland Terps dominated Utah, 71-56, in the second round of NCAA play at the Comcast Center.  Besides being a one-seed, having 10,000 screaming fans on your side can’t hurt. Oh, and not having lost a home game in 2 years ain’t bad either. 

Senior standouts Marissa Coleman (above far left) and Kristi Toliver said goodbye to their home court last night. Coleman had a double-double with 18 points, 18 rebounds and Toliver clocked in with 17 points. “Don’t forget my two rebounds,” she piped in in the post-game. Continue reading →

Special Events, The Daily Feed
By

Words on Will: Germaine Greer

Photo courtesy of
‘Folger Shakespeare Library – This Will Seem Naught but a Midsummer Night’s Dream – 6-1-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Full disclosure: Germaine Greer is pretty much my hero. And I plan on telling her so, if given the opportunity, when she lectures tonight at the Folger Shakespeare Library at their on-going series “Words on Will.” (I regrettably had to miss the last installment of the series, which featured Marjorie Gerber, author of “Shakespeare and Modern Culture.”)

The Australian-born scholar/feminist icon/journalist’s most recent work is “Shakespeare’s Wife,” an abnormally tempered – in comparison with previous scholars and bardologists – look at Anne Hathaway (no, not that one). Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
By

Women’s Hoops: When Nerds Heckle

Photo courtesy of
‘Flags and Geese at Comcast’
courtesy of ‘blunck2’

Yesterday at the Comcast Center, the Terps continued to carry the torch for DC-area basketball in an 82-53 win over the Dartmouth Big Green. The 16th-seeded Dartmouth made it to the tournament by winning the Ivy League conference, but faced near-insurmountable odds coming up against Maryland, a strong contender for the Championship. And did I mention this was a home game for the Terps??

Perhaps the most hilarious part of the game, was a lone Big Green fan, sitting amongst a sea of red, who insisted upon heckling the Maryland players during time outs and free throws. However, this was not just any heckling — this was nerd heckling. The fan in question was reading aloud from passages from the Dr. Seuss book Yertle the Turtle.

Continue reading →

Special Events, The Daily Feed
By

Servathon Needs Tools

Photo courtesy of
‘Tools of the Trade 2’
courtesy of ‘Paul Godden’

My favorite volunteer day of the year, Servathon, will fast be upon us. In preparation for the huge day of service to DC public schools, Greater DC Cares is looking for you to give them your spare tools. No ladies, we can’t all bring our ex-boyfriends and drop them off! They’re looking for power tools, ladders, paint brushes, paper towels & drop clothes, gardening gloves and Home Depot Gift Cards.

Stop by the Greater DC Cares office from April 1st through the 3rd to make your donation to their tool box (they’re located at Located at 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 840, Washington DC, 20005). Or, take them to the Community Tool Chest on Saturday April 4th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and tour the Community Tool Chest (located at Located at 4600 Livingston Road SE, Washington DC, 20032). All your donations are tax deductible!

Night Life, Special Events, We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: The Greatest Show On Earth

Photo courtesy of
‘Fly’
courtesy of ‘Thomas Hawk’

So I think March is cursed. These past two weeks have been some of the toughest I’ve had in recent history, both personally and professionally,  and so when I was offered a night at the circus? YES PLEASE. Let’s escape, I’m ready for trapezes and clowns to distract me from my own messes. So off we went to the big tent, err, Verizon Center for a night of magic and performance with the Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

In short? It was exactly what I needed.

It may have been a touch cheesy, but it was surprisingly more Cirque than Disney on Ice on the scale. Most of the acts really DID have me on the edge of my seat, or impressed with the acrobatics, and I thoroughly enjoyed the silly musical numbers if only because there was so much to watch – from clowns, mini horses, motorcycles, goats, spinning teacups and one random porcupine, the show truly had it all.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, Special Events, We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: Denyce Graves Lends Her Voice to Help Ellington School

‘The Kennedy Center‘
Courtesy of public.resource.org

Denyce Graves, a native of Washington, DC returned here last month for a recital to support her alma mater, DC’s Duke Ellington School for the Arts. The Kennedy Center was crowded for the recital, which featured a nice mixture of classical, jazz, gospel, and contemporary selections as well as the talents of the Ellington School Show Choir.

Miss Graves, ably accompanied by pianist Joseph Thalken, started the evening with a selection from the opera Adrianna Lecouvreur that highlighted her dexterity as a singer. From loud to soft, intense to whimsical, and low to high, she gave a glimpse of what the rest of the night had in store.

Unamplified through the operatic first half of the program, Graves paused between numbers to enlighten the audience about the pieces she was performing, and relayed a few thoughts about her time at the Ellington School, where she was a student in the 1980s.

After she sang Habanera from Carmen, Graves joked that the crowd enjoyed it because they recognized the tune. But the applause wasn’t just because it was familiar. Her lyrical phrasing contrasted with the staccato beat of the piano, and Graves mastered it and made it her own.

She closed out the first half of the program with two African-American Spirituals and a piece by Gene Scheer, American Anthem, which seemed appropriate for a concert in her hometown of Washington, DC.

The Duke Ellington School Ellington Show Choir under the direction of Samuel L. Bonds gave Graves a brief respite as they performed two energetic selections. Dancing around the stage, the black-tie and black gown clad high schoolers put on an impressive energetic show.

Graves returned to the stage with the haunting Milonga sin Palabras, a piece whose lyrics consist entirely of “oohs” and “ahhs.” Sung by Graves, it inspires similar reactions from the audience, along with enthusiastic applause. She finished the concert with more recent material, borrowing from jazz, blues, and even the Beatles to round out the very varied recital.

Downtown, Special Events, Sports Fix
By

Hoop Dreams: DC Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘20080220_2740’
courtesy of ‘vcheeseman’

I love this time of year — there’s a buzz, an excitement, a renewed fervor, a sense of possibility and hope for overcoming impossible odds. That’s right folks, the 2009 NCAA basketball tournaments are back! Granted, I liked it a lot more when I had 2 weeks’ Spring Break that fell exactly during the first two rounds – glorious days of non-stop basketball – but, we deal. And if need-be, we use sick days.

Most of the games (men’s and women’s) are on CBS (listings here including who is announcing so you can avoid Clark Kellogg) or the ESPN channels (listings here). The games are viewable through ESPN360.com and CBSsportsline.com I believe.

District Pride! Who do we have? Let’s see about the contenders…

Ladies First. Round 1 at College Park, MD – the Comcast Center (whatwhat!) Continue reading →

Arlington, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Special Events, The Features
By

Knife Skills Class at Arlington Adult Education

Photo courtesy of

‘SNC11054’
courtesy of ‘bradleypjohnson’

I’ve been out of school for a few years now, and have honestly enjoyed the freedom of having no homework. It is glorious, and although work sometimes turns into homework (especially when I have to go in on weekends), at least I’m getting paid (in theory). I don’t miss the homework, but what I do miss are the classes. I had wonderful classes in college. (Sometimes I daydream about sneaking into a GW or Georgetown lecture and reliving my glory days.)

So when Arlington put out the current class offerings for Spring, I poured through the catalog like a kid in a candy store. The classes are affordable, fun, and actually relevant to my life (unlike some classes I took at UNC). The one I chose to take this go-round was Knife Skills. My mother always said she wished she had taken a knife skills class, if only to know the easiest and quickest way to chop something, so I decided to learn from her longings and actually take one.

So last week, I packed up my best knife, and headed over to the Clarendon education center for a class on how to chop. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Special Events, The Daily Feed
By

St. Patty’s Day Celebrations

Photo courtesy of
‘Battle-ready helmet’
courtesy of ‘quinn.anya’

DC is going green, but not in the sustainable way — more like the “you look a little green…how many Guinnesses have you had?” way. Last weekend was the giant St. Patrick’s Day parade in Alexandria, which is often accompanied by an entire day in the multiple Irish pubs in Old Town, and this Saturday is Shamrock Fest at RFK Stadium.

I went to Shamrock Fest last year, and I’ve vowed to never return, but I do enjoy the general festiveness of this time of year, even if in reality it turns into two solid weekends of complete debauchery. Just be careful out there, and please, please don’t throw up on my shoes.

Special Events, The Daily Feed
By

Dinner With a Spy

Photo courtesy of
‘I spy with my Metro eye …..’ courtesy of ‘christaki’

Next week, the International Spy Museum is holding one of their annual “Dinner with a Spy” events. This year’s guest is Oleg Kalugin, former head of Soviet KGB operations in the U.S. during the Cold War. Today, Oleg is an American citizen and an outspoken critic of his former employer and Russia’s current leadership.

During this intimate dinner, Kalugin will share some of his hottest stories from the Cold War, weigh in on the current international issues, and dialogue with his former adversary, CIA veteran and International Spy Museum executive director Peter Earnest. The ticket price includes a three-course meal at Zola and ‘unrestricted access’ to two extraordinary Cold Warriors.

It all goes down on Wednesday, March 18th at 7 p.m. Call the museum at 202.393.7798 for more information and to purchase tickets.

Special Events, We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: Comic Art Indigene

1-ca-yazzie_shieldl

Jolene Nenibah Yazzie (Navajo), "Beautiful Shield" 2006. Digital print. Courtesy of the artist.

Upstairs in the intimate Sealaska Gallery at the National Museum of the American Indian is a fascinating exhibition on the intersection between Native culture and a uniquely modern art form. “Comic Art Indigene,” now through May 31st, highlights over 35 artworks of various mediums from the earliest rock art and clay figurines through to classic comic strip panels. Containing images both humorous and provocative, it’s well worth a visit.

If you’re interested in the history of how traditional methods of storytelling evolved into using comic art as a means of Native expression, the beginning of the exhibit clearly outlines this process. I just urge you to make sure you move beyond that initial area to the back walls and pay careful attention to the incredible pieces by Diego Romero, Mateo Romero, Jolene Nenibah Yazzie, and Rose Bean Simpson. These artists collectively pack a powerful graphic suckerpunch.

Jolene Nenibah Yazzie (Navajo) was a skater girl in high school, and her childhood inspiration was Wonder Woman. Both facets are evident in her supersaturated color contrast and strong female images. I loved “Beautiful Shield” – reminding me of a bit of Patrick Nagel (though these women could kick Nagel’s to the curb!). If I could own one piece of artwork from the show, this would be it. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Foggy Bottom, Special Events, We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: Bellydance Superstars

album_pic-3php

"Petite Jamilla" courtesy of Bellydance Superstars

A couple of years ago I took a bellydance class at Joy of Motion, totally on a whim. My instructor was an incredible American Cabaret style performer named Michelle Forner. I’ll never forget the first class when she did a quick routine for us and I thought, “Oh. My. God. There is NO way I will be able to do this.” The technique she displayed, with complete control in isolation of various core muscles, was intimidating and yet enthralling.

I recently decided to take the plunge again and take another bellydance class, this time in American Tribal at Saffron Dance. We’ll see how that goes! The differences between the many styles of bellydance, including the growing fusion between them and other branches of dance (such as urban, goth, bollywood, etc.) are highlighted in this year’s tour of Bellydance Superstars, which I had the luck of seeing Tuesday night at GWU’s Lisner Auditorium. The Superstars will be back in our area this June for Raqs America, and I highly recommend if you have any interest in this dance genre to definitely check it out.

Despite an overblown and cheesy opening voiceover, the 2009 tour titled “The Art of Bellydance” is a good introduction to the amazingly talented resurgence of this dance form in America. Featuring some incredible performers, exquisite costumes (more so for the tribal than the cabaret, which just isn’t to my personal taste), and the brilliant Issam Houshan on drum solo – it was two hours of beauty, pure and simple.

Continue reading →

Special Events
By

Iran So Far Away

Photo courtesy of
‘paperback’
courtesy of ‘Pete…E’

Every weekday morning I awake to the dulcet tenor of Steve Inskeep‘s voice on NPR’s Morning Edition. (What better way is there to wake up, really?) Those of you who share my love for public radio will recall that a couple of weeks ago Mr. Inskeep was on assignment in Iran to cover the 30th Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution there. As part of that coverage, two writers, Azadeh Moaveni and Azar Nafisi, discussed their memoirs of Iran, Honeymoon in Tehran and Reading Lolita in Tehran, respectively. 

Last night, the conversation about Iran continued, as Moaveni stopped by the great DC bookstore Politics & Prose to promote Honeymoon in Tehran  and discuss her experiences. As a journalist for Time Magazine, the California-born Moaveni has lived in worked throughout the Middle East. Her first book, Lipstick Jihad, was a look into the youth culture she observed in Iran in the early aughts. Despite the strict moral code of the Islamic government and the threat of enforcement by the morality police, young people in Iran — which Moaveni cited makes up some 70% of the Iranian populace — flouted the rules as if they didn’t exist period. 
Continue reading →

Downtown, Essential DC, Special Events, The Daily Feed
By

Cherry Blossoms A-Coming!

Blossoms

They’re coming! According to the just-held National Cherry Blossom Festival press conference this morning, the expected ‘bloom date’ is going to be…

April 3 through April 9! Keep in mind this is when 70 percent of the blossoms of the Yoshino Cherry  trees that surround the Tidal Basin are open.

Admit it, you all have been waiting for this. (Just like me.) And don’t forget that the actual Festival this year runs from March 28 through April 12, so remember to take lots of photos and drop them into our Flickr pool!

Entertainment, Music, Special Events, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
By

Geriatric Superstar

Jesus Christ, Superstar starring Ted Neeley

So here I am, sitting on my couch, watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy on TNT (there’s a great way to lose a weekend, by the way), when I see an ad for a production of Jesus Christ, Superstar coming to the Warner Theater March 17-22. Having been a fan of this particular show since I was a kid (and it’s a popular choice for musical companies during Lent), I stopped to take notice… and saw that Ted Neeley is playing Jesus.

Okay, what the hell. Ted Neeley is the best-known Superstar Jesus. He played Jesus in the movie in his 20s, played him on Broadway, played him in the touring production for the movie’s 20th anniversary in the 90s, but people: Ted Neeley is 65 years old. For the record, that’s nearly twice as old as Jesus of Nazareth ever lived to be. I caught a performance on that tour in the 90s- he was sounding a little rough then, and that was 15 years ago. And look, no disrespect to Neeley- the lead roles in Superstar are vocally challenging even to performers in their prime. There’s a lot of high-pitched shrieking to be done, and it’s a strain.

Is there really no one else who can believably play this role that we’ve got to trot out a guy who is nearly as old as my grandfather to play someone about my age? Are audiences really so unwilling to see other people playing Jesus?

Arlington, Fun & Games, People, Special Events, The Features
By

Crystal Couture In Review

Workday Wednesday Fashion Show

The Gossip on 23rd Runway Show at Crystal City Couture

On Wednesday, I headed over to Crystal City for dinner with friends and then a stop at the Crystal Couture Work Wear Wednesday event. Housed inside loft-like industrial space, the large room was set up with vendors selling work wear outfits, a runway, a cash bar, and complimentary mini-cupcakes from Red Velvet Cupcakery. Techno music echoed through the space, and the Sex and The City Movie played in the background. It was girlie to the hilt. After reading Don’s review of Tattoo Tuesday, I was expecting tons of photographers, but mostly there were twenty-somethings stopping by after work to shop the wares.

Although Crystal Couture isn’t quite over yet (there are still events happening through the weekend) I was able to chat with Angela Fox, the President/CEO of the Crystal City Business Improvement District, all about what she loved, what went wrong, and what the event meant for Crystal City. Continue reading →