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Category Archives: Culture

Around Town: March 24-25

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An awesome range of events coming up this weekend …

Reading: A Family Affair with Literacy Council of Northern Virginia (James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church)

A free, five-hour event, this family literacy day brings books alive through a variety of venues: visitors can see, hear, become, read & write, and even click (through computer activities) great books on Saturday from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Learn more right here!

Tree Planting! with Anacostia Watershed Society (Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg)

Come roll up your sleeves and help to restore the health and natural beauty of the watershed on Saturday from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM; simply zip an email to hbailey@anacostiaws.org to sign up.

“All Mozart” at National Philharmonic (The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda)

Assistant Conductor Victoria Gau makes her National Philharmonic debut in an all-Mozart concert that opens with the joyful and beloved Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (“A Little Night Music”) on Saturday at 8:00 PM. Tickets right here!

Red Shoe 5K Run & Walk with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, DC (2303 Dulles Station Boulevard, Herndon)

Calling all runners and walkers! The Red Shoes 5K, coming up on Sunday at 9:00 AM, features a scenic fast, flat course and a special kids fun run. Sign up online and help in the fight for children’s health.

“The Art of the Fugue” at Washington Bach Consort (National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Avenue NW)

In this rare performance of the complete Die Kunst der Fugue, experienceit in different ensemble groupings including string ensemble, harpsichord, and organ on Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets this way!

Scrabble Scramble at Literacy Council of Montgomery County (Manor Country Club, 14901 Carrolton Road, Rockville)

On Sunday at 6:00 PM, four-player teams will compete to achieve the highest total score and raise money for the organization’s adult literacy programs. Dinner is included, along with a cash bar. For more info, call (301) 610-0030 x202.

In The News …

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Investing in Education, Workforce Development and the Safety Net Will Close the Income Gap (Huffington Post): “In other words, while our region’s economy has led to economic growth and prosperity for many on the middle and higher rungs of the ladder, residents on the bottom of the income scale largely are being left behind,” writes Terri Lee Freeman, president of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. “While philanthropy alone cannot address income inequality, it can make a difference. We believe economic security can be achieved by investing in three key areas: education, workforce development and the safety net.” Do you agree that these are the three key areas? What would you add?

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Elsewhere

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In beginning to write The Giver, I created a world that existed only in my imagination — the world of “only us, only now.” I tried to make Jonas’s world seem familiar, comfortable, and safe, and I tried to seduce the reader. I seduced myself along the way. It did feel good, that world. I got rid of all the things I fear and dislike […] One child has pointed out, in a letter, that the people in Jonas’s world didn’t even have to do dishes.

It was very, very tempting to leave it at that.

But […] if I’ve learned anything through that river of memories, it is that we can’t live in a walled world, in an “only us, only now” world where we are all the same and feel safe. We would have to sacrifice too much. The richness of color and diversity would disappear; feelings for other humans would no longer be necessary. Choices would be obsolete.

And besides, I had ridden my bike Elsewhere as a child, and liked it there, but had never been brave enough to tell anyone about it. So it was time.

— author Lois Lowry, born today in 1937
Newbery Medal acceptance speech for The Giver, June 1994

Around Town: March 16-18

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I’m writing this blog post from the (windy yet balmy) outdoors! Enjoy the spring-like weekend with a Catalogue nonprofit …

Blackbird by Adam Rapp at District of Columbia Arts Center (2438 18th Street NW)

On Friday through Sunday at 7:30 PM, Barrelhouse Theatre presents this ferocious modern love-story between two troubled individuals who are caught in a continuing loop of bad luck and bad choices; for reservations, call (202) 462-7833. Tickets are a super-reasonable $16 and $12 for members.

Green Living Expo with Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (at Washington Lee High School, 1301 N. Stafford Street, Arlington)

Looking for practical ways to green your lifestyle? On Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, the expo will feature businesses and organizations with products and services focusing on energy conservation, eco-friendly transportation, healthy homes, and more. Children’s activities are included, plus the event is just three blocks from the Metro.

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Connectings

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“He saw that all the struggles of life were incessant, laborious, painful, that nothing was done quickly, without labor, that it had to undergo a thousand fondlings, revisings, moldings, addings, removings, graftings, tearings, correctings, smoothings, rebuildings, reconsiderings, nailings, tackings, chippings, hammerings, hoistings, connectings.”
— The Town and the City

“I want to work in revelations, not just spin silly tales for money. I want to fish as deep down as possible into my own subconscious in the belief that once that far down, everyone will understand because they are the same that far down.”
— Letter, 1950

— novelist Jack Kerouac, born today in 1922

Around Town: March 9-11

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Hey, Greater Washington! Where are you headed this weekend?

Free Drop-In Tango Practica with Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th Street SE)

On Friday from 7:00 to 9:30 PM, tango dancers of all levels have an opportunity to practice, collaborate, and learn in a collective space; free and open to dancers of all levels.

Blackbird by Adam Rapp at District of Columbia Arts Center (2438 18th Street NW)

On Friday through Sunday at 7:30 PM, Barrelhouse Theatre presents this ferocious modern love-story between two troubled individuals who are caught in a continuing loop of bad luck and bad choices; for reservations, call (202) 462-7833.

Heart of L’Arche Tour at L’Arche Greater Washington DC

On Saturday from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, learn more about the people and mission of L’Arche, plus hear what a family member has to say about what L’Arche has meant to them. Please contact Michelle Wirth at (202) 232-4539 for the address.

Wetland Meadow Site Prep with Anacostia Watershed Society (3901 Hamilton Street, Hyattsville, MD)

Help to control dangerous storm water runoff from reaching the river by planting native plants and flowers along the side of the river on Saturday at 11:00 AM. This event is now full.

Utopia of Life

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[…] William Faulkner said, “I decline to accept the end of man.” I would fall unworthy of standing in this place that was his, if I were not fully aware that the colossal tragedy he refused to recognize thirty-two years ago is now, for the first time since the beginning of humanity, nothing more than a simple scientific possibility. Faced with this awesome reality that must have seemed a mere utopia through all of human time, we, the inventors of tales, who will believe anything, feel entitled to believe that it is not yet too late to engage in the creation of the opposite utopia. A new and sweeping utopia of life, where no one will be able to decide for others how they die, where love will prove true and happiness be possible, and where the races condemned to one hundred years of solitude will have, at last and forever, a second opportunity on earth.

— Nobel Lecture of Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, born today in 1927

Around Town: March 2-4

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It’s just the second day of March and yesterday sure felt like spring! So consider enjoying the first weekend of the month with one of these DC nonprofits …

Northeast Performing Arts Group (Woodson High School Auditorium, 5500 Eads Street NE)

See how today’s youth overcome the destructive forces of color bias and create hope for humanity in ColorStruck: With the Skin I’m In!, an electrifying dance musical on Friday at 11:30 and 7:00 PM. Come to be entertained and uplifted by performers ranging from ages 3 to 25.

Bowen McCauley Dance (The Kennedy Center: Terrace Theater, 2700 F Street NW)

BMD presents “Le Sacre du Printemps + More” on Friday at 7:30 PM, followed by a Gala Celebration with the artists and fans; nab your gala tickets right here!

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In The News …

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Unemployment Still on the Rise in DC (DC Fiscal Policy Institute): The District ended 2011 with an average yearly unemployment rate of 10.3 percent, slightly higher than the rate for 2010 and far higher than that for 2007 before the start of the recession. This is a sign that economic weakness continues to affect DC residents.” Workers ages 16 to 24 still have the highest unemployment rate (17.4), but this same demographic also saw a drop from 2010 to 2011 — the only group to do so. On the flip side, the rate for residents with a high school diploma continued to rise: from 9.7 in 2007 to 25.3 in 2011.

The report concludes that “the economic recovery is far from complete, so it is important to consider policies to support these populations with high unemployment rates.”

The Helen Hayes Awards Nominations Are Announced (Washingtonian Blog): Special congratulations to the three Catalogue nonprofit theater companies that received nominations for their 2011 productions. TheatreWashington, also a Catalogue nonprofit, announced the nominations this past Monday. Synetic Theatre nabbed fifteen nominations for a single production, their dynamic and wordless King Lear. Adventure Theatre received thirteen nobs in total, including nine for A Year With Frog and Toad and three nominations in the Outstanding Production: Theatre for Young Audiences category. And Woolly Mammoth Theatre received eight nominations, including nobs for Director, Lead Actor, and Production for A Bright New Boise.

With Few Other Options, More Low-Income Patients Visit ER for Dental Care (PBS via DCentric): “More Americans are visiting the emergency room because of toothaches and other routine dental problems — at 10 times the cost of preventative care and with far fewer treatment options than a dentist’s office,” according to a new report from the Pew Center on the States. From 2006 to 2009, the number of emergency room trips for dental care went up by 16% and the trend seems to be continuing. And the costs of that trend are high: “a routine teeth cleaning that could prevent future dental problems can cost up to $100, as compared to $1,000 for ER treatment for untreated cavities and infections.” You can learn more about our nonprofit free (and mobile) clinics right here.

Around Town: February 24-26

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Good morning, Greater Washington! What might strike your fancy this weekend?

NATURE …

Meet at the intersection of Anacostia Avenue NE and Douglas Street NE for a Nash Run Trash Trap Cleanup with the Anacostia Watershed Society on Saturday at noon; these traps prevent the spread of trash without injuring or harming wildlife like fish from moving freely about the river (be sure to RSVP!). And on Sunday at 10:00 AM, join Potomac Conservancy for the monthly cleanup day at Fletcher’s Cove; this cleanup is open to all ages and the Conservancy will provide all the necessary supplies.

DANCE …

Lucy Bowen McCauley, artistic director of BMDC, will perform in Perspectivoyage, a new work created with her “artistic blind dates” Matthew Mann and David Robb at INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas this Friday at 6:00 & 8:30 PM. INTERSECTIONS continues through March 11, so be sure to head over to H Street! On Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 2:00 & 5:00 PM, join CityDance Ensemble for a special open house performance in the new Studio Theater and catch a glimpse into the School & Conservatory; call (202) 347-3909 to learn more. And on Saturday at 8:00 PM, Joy of Motion Dance presents Nomad Dancers’ CARAVANSARY, where dancers meet on the path of rhythm; nab your tickets here.

MUSIC …

On Saturday at 8:00 PM, the National Philharmonic presents the six celebrated Brandenburg Concertos by J. S. Bach, which display a light side of Bach’s genius and each highlight a different instrumental combination; tickets are available right here. The American Youth Philharmonic present works by Verdi, Tchaikovsky, von Suppe, Schubert, and Brahams in the AYSO and AYCO Concert, “Fate’s Fortune,” side by side with musicians from the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra; more information right here!