DANCE, FAIRS, FAMILY, FESTIVALS, FOOD, FILM & TELEVISION
Russell P. Allen - Courtesy of The Washington Ballet - Click to enlarge
DANCE: +Added July 8: Sylvia de Leon, Chair of The Washington Ballet (TWB) Board of Directors, announced in July that Russell P. Allen will be the Ballet’s new Executive Director. Mr. Allen, who currently serves as the Executive Director for Orlando Ballet, will join TWB in September. He succeeds Kay Kendall, who has been TWB’s Interim Executive Director since April, 2007. She will continue her work with the organization as a member of the company’s Advisory Board. To read more about the company, visit www.washingtonballet.org/
+Added July 12: Washington Reflections Dance Company, which was founded in 2002 by Fabian Barnes, will perform a program titled “Reaching New Heights” at Carter Barron Amphitheatre on Friday, August 1. The dance corps will be comprised of Summer Intensive Program students and Washington Reflections Dance Co. members. The ensemble-sized contemporary ballet/modern-dance company “uses dance to add a uniquely African-American voice to the nation's rich cultural landscape.” Fabian Barnes is also the founder and artistic director of The Dance Institute of Washington. To read more about the company, visit www.danceinstitute.org/ Visit www.nps.gov/rocr/planyourvisit/cbarronschedule.htm
+Added July 10: A Jane Austen Ball will be held at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum on N. Royal Street in Old Town Alexandria on Saturday, August 9. The theme is inspired by the era in the 1790s when English novelist Jane Austen was writing her classic novels. The evening will feature English Country dances in the historic ballroom, with live music and “iced refreshments.” Participants can wear period costume - otherwise, “after-five” attire is encouraged. Reservations are required. Visit http://oha.alexandriava.gov/calendar/event_view.php?Event_ID=461&back=/gt_calendar/?Division=gt&Old=1&Division=gt
Photo of the 2007 Jane Austen Ball courtesy of Gadsby’s Tavern Museum - click to enlarge
The Wheat Barn at Mount Vernon - Click to enlarge
FAMILY, FAIRS FESTIVALS & FOOD:
+Added July 12: The Kennedy Center's Seventh Annual Prelude Festival will begin with the annual National Symphony Orchestra Labor Day Concert, conducted by Emil de Cou, on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, August 31. The festival is a pre-season celebration of “the best performing arts from Washington and the world” and will continue through October 5 at The Kennedy Center. The culmination of the Prelude Festival will be the 24nd Annual Open House Arts Festival on September 13. The daylong indoor and outdoor event celebrates the Kennedy Center's birthday. There will be more than 30 free performances of music, dance, and theater, plus many other family events and activities. Visit www.kennedy-center.org/nso/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&event=NILAB
George Washington’s Pioneer Farmer Site, which is a 5-minute walk south of the Mansion at Mount Vernon, has hands-on activities, now through October. The farm marked the beginning of the wheat harvest season on July 4 with wheat-treading demonstrations. Visitors can observe Washington’s innovative treading process, and learn first-hand how grain was separated from straw. Visit www.mountvernon.org/calendar/index.cfm/fuseaction/event/calID/134/
PLEASE SEE THE HISTORY COLUMN FOR ADDITIONAL EVENTS AT MOUNT VERNON!
The 2008 African Heritage and Cultural Festival will take place in Alexandria on July 26 in Market Square, in front of City Hall on King Street. The event will feature food, arts & crafts and performances. Visit http://visitalexandriava.com/calendar/7/2008
+Added July 10: There will be a Family Dig Day on the grounds of the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria on Saturday, August 16. Families are invited to help archaeologists and trained volunteers as they screen excavated soil for artifacts from a “real dig." Reservations are required. Visit http://oha.alexandriava.gov/archaeology/ +Added July 10: There will be a re-enactment, titledAlexandria 1814 - A City Occupied, on Saturday, August 23 at Carlyle House Historic Park on N. Fairfax Street in Alexandria. The occasion refers to an event during the War of 1812, when Alexandria surrendered to a British naval force and paid a ransom of rum, tobacco, flour, cotton and sugar. Participants can learn about the event and see early 19th-century weapon demonstrations, take a tour of the historic house and more. Visit www.carlylehouse.org
+Added July 10: AnIrish Festival will take place at the Waterfront Park on Prince Street in Alexandria on Saturday, August 2. The event, which is part of the city’s Ethnic Festival Series, will feature food, arts & crafts and entertainment. Visit www.alexandriava.gov
Photo of a previous Alexandria Family Dig Day - Click to enlarge
Tennis Champion Andy Roddick - Photo courtesy of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic - Click to enlarge
+Added July 12: The Legg Mason Tennis Classic, presented by GEICO, will take place on the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park in Northwest Washington, August 9 - 17. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), a non-profit organization established in 1955. WTEF strives to foster the lives of DC-area youth, particularly youths from lower-income communities, through tennis, community-based and educational activities. Some 72,000 tennis-lovers are expected to attend the Tennis Classic, and there will be some $600,000 in prize money! Tennis Champion Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, (former World No. 1), Feliciano Lopez, Tommy Haas and Donald Young are among the stars who have accepted an invitation to participate. Visit http://leggmasontennisclassic.com/
Photo of a previous Legg Mason Tennis Classic at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park - Click to enlarge
The midway at a previous Maryland State Fair - Click to enlarge
+Added July 12: The Maryland State Fair will be held August 22-September 1 at the State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland. As always, the summer classic will feature live entertainment, home arts, livestock, farm and garden, games, rides and horse races. Visit http://marylandstatefair.com/
The Caterpillar Ride at a previous Maryland State Fair - Click to enlarge
Photos from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History exhibition titled “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil” - From left, image courtesy of L. Clarke/Corbis, then image courtesy of the Smithsoninan Institution and at right, image courtesy of Somos/Veer/Getty Images - Click to enlarge
+Added July 12: The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair will be held at the County Fair Grounds in Gaithersburg, Maryland, August 8-16. Visitors can enjoy food, carnival rides, livestock exhibits and entertainment. Visit www.mcagfair.com/
+Added July 12: The Maryland Renaissance Festival will be held at Revel Grove, near Annapolis, on select days between August 23 and October 19. There will be music and entertainment, fine arts and crafts, and a great variety of food and beverages - served at forty-two venues! The fair originated in 1977 and draws visitors from far and wide. The village at Revel Grove is set on a 25-acre wooded site, and there are 85 acres of free parking. Visit www.rennfest.com
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is exhibiting Nature’s Best Photography: Ocean Views through November. The museum and Nature’s Best Photography magazine created a photography competition to complement the opening of the Museum's upcoming Ocean Hall and invited photographers of all levels “to share their connections with the sea.” The exhibition features a selection of the over 10,000 entries which were submitted. Visit www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/ocean%20views/
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is exhibiting Dig It! The Secrets of Soil, through January 3, 2010. The new 5,000-square-foot exhibition includes dioramas, soil cross-sections, multimedia programs, and hands-on activities “to advance public understanding of the diversity, complexity, and importance of soils for daily life.” The exhibition also provides a new context for exploring the Museum’s diverse collections, including the organisms that live in soils, the conditions that produce soils, and the cultures that rely on them. Visit http://forces.si.edu/soils/
The Smithsonian’s Ripley Center - near the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall - is exhibiting Jim Henson's Fantastic World through October 5. Henson (1936-1990) was an artist, puppeteer, film director and producer known for his unique creations. The exhibition includes some 100 of his drawings, cartoons, storyboards, videos, television and movie props, plus photographs of him and his collaborators at work. Visit www.si.edu/visit/whatsnew/ripley.asp
+Added July 10: Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens will present Family Fun Sunday: In Fabergé’s Workshop on August 31. Visitors can “step into Fabergé’s Workshop and create a decorative picture frame — in the style of imperial Russia’s legendary jeweler — perfect for displaying summer family photos.” Tours of the Mansion, café dining, and shopping will round out this special Sunday opening. Reservations are required! Visit www.hillwoodmuseum.org/programs.html
A photo from a previous Railroad Days event - courtesy of The Lyseum
+Added July 15:The Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum, will present a Weekend of “Railroad Days” on Saturday & Sunday, August 2 & 3.The event marks the return of the Potomac Division of the National Model Railroad Association, which will run model trains with a state-of-the-art digital command system throughminiature towns, scenic hills and valleys. This year, the weekend will include a hands-on Thomas the Tank Engine area for toddlers and a display of Lego toy and hobby trains.Also, representatives ofWhistle Stop Hobbies will discuss the fun of miniature trains, and Operation Lifesaver, a national railroad safety program headquartered in Alexandria, will participate. Visit www.alexandriahistory.org
+Added July 10: The National Museum of Women in the Arts will have a Festival of Books for children ages 8 to 12 - accompanied by an adult - on Sunday, August 3. The program will be presented in partnership with the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, D.C. Author/illustrator Jennifer O'Connell will demonstrate how to start a picture book, and book artist Sally Canzoneri will show how to create a three-dimensional book. Children can also learn about May Chinn, the first African-American woman to practice medicine in Harlem, from biographers Joyce Schwartz and Ellen Butts. To read more about author-illustrator Jennifer O’Connell, visitwww.jenniferoconnellart.com/ To read more about book artist Sally Canzoneri, visit http://sallycanzoneri.wordpress.com/ For more information about the festival, visit www.nmwa.org/calendar/detail.asp?eventId=800
Darryl Tonemah - Photo courtesy of the artist and the National Museum of the American Indian - Click to enlarge
+Added July 4: The National Museum of the American Indian will not have a National Powwow Cultural Dance Competition in Washington this year. However, the Museum’s Indian Summer Showcase series has several programs of interest to families and others. Twice a month, now through August, the series presents Native music from throughout the Americas on the 2nd and 4th Fridays. The concerts are performed outside the Museum’s main entrance - on the Welcome Plaza. Looking ahead to August, Darryl Tonemah(Kiowa/Comanche/Tuscarora) will perform on Friday, August 8. He is said to combine “the energy of rock, the intelligence of folk, and the heart of country to create a musical niche he calls ‘Native Americana.’” Tonemah is a behavioral psychologist, as well as a rising musician, and is the director of the Health Promotion Program at the University of Oklahoma College of Continuing Education. To read more about Tonewah, visit www.myspace.com/darryltonemah
The series will present Tonolec—Tradition-infused Electronica on Friday, August 22, on the Welcome Plaza. Tonolec is comprised of young artists from Chaco, Argentina. They combine electronic and ethnic music of their native land. “Tanolec” is the name of a local native bird and symbolizes “a powerful feminine voice in dialogue with nature and electronics.”
In addition to music, the Museum will present many other programs, including Native Boatbuilding Traditions: Birch bark Canoe, August 9-21 in the Potomac Atrium. The museum will work with the Fond du Lac Lake Superior Band of Chippewa to present a group of boat builders who will construct a full-size birch bark canoe. Visitors will be able to watch and interact directly with the boat builders. Visit www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=events&second=dc
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Tonolec - Photo courtesy of the artists and the National Museum of the American Indian - Click to enlarge
Anchorman Bob Schieffer - Photo of the National Book Festival - Click to enlarge
+Added July 22: The 2008 National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by Mrs. Laura Bush, will take place on Saturday, September 27, rain or shine, on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th streets. The festival is free and open to the public. Some seventy authors and illustrators will participate this year, including Arthur Frommer and Pauline Frommer, Brad Meltzer, Salman Rushdie, Bob Schieffer, Daniel Schorr, Paul Theroux and Dionne Warwick. There will be activities for all ages, and readers can get information about many genres of books in designated pavilions, from fiction, history and mystery to romance, poetry, cookbooks and much more. Visitors can also learn about the vast resources offered by the Library of Congress. Jon Scieszka, an honored children’s book author, will be among the authors presenting in the Teens & Children’s Pavilion, where children can meet their favorite storybook characters. Each year, NBA/WNPA players participate by reading their favorite children’s books aloud with students from local area schools. The Pavilion of the States will highlight reading, literacy and library promotion activities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and beyond. The artist for this year’s festival is children’s author and illustrator Jan Brett, whose poster of animals and birds will be available. Visit www.loc.gov/bookfest/
The National Air & Space Museum is exhibiting Space: A Journey To Our Future, now-January 11, 2009. The exhibition highlights ongoing projects in space exploration, including satellites, space telescopes, and living in space and provides "a glimpse" at future human space travel. Interactive displays and projection and audio technology bring the story to life. Visitwww.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/gal113/
The photo at right shows the Lunar Base Camp at the "Space: A Journey to Our Future" exhibit currently on view at the National Air and Space Museum's Mall building. Visitors can walk in and experience what life would be like in a moon habitat, complete with work pods and bunk beds. Image Number: WEB11027-2008 - Photo by Eric Long/NASM - Copyright: Smithsonian Institution - Click to enlarge
The Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum is exhibiting In Plane View: Abstractions of Flight at the National Air and Space Museum in DC through January 2009. Fifty-five color photographs by museum photographer Carolyn Russo illustrate details of the often-overlooked "simple beauty" of aircraft and spacecraft design. Visit www.si.edu/visit/whatsnew/nasm.asp
Adventure Theatre at Glen Echo Park is presenting Babe, the Sheep Pig, through August 3. Based on the book by Dick King-Smith - adapted by David Wood and directed by Vincent Worthington, it's the story of an extraordinary friendship. The story became an Academy Award-winning film in 1995. Visit www.adventuretheatre.org/babe.html
The Popcorn Gallery and the Puppet Company at Glen Echo Park are presenting an exhibition of puppets, on Saturdays and Sundays, now -July 27. To read more about the Puppet Company, visitwww.thepuppetco.org/
Imagination Stage in Bethesda is presenting The Neverending Story, a play based on the novel by Michael Ende and adapted by David S. Craig, now through August 8. Directed by Janet Stanford, it’s an adventure story about a lonely boy who hides in his school’s attic to read. There’s a princess in the land of Fantastica, a swamp, a flying dragon, a werewolf and difficult choices and challenges. Visit www.imaginationstage.org/playing.htm
The Friendship Heights Urban Network (FHUN) will have their third annual BBQ in Page Park - on North Park Avenue - Saturday, July 26. FHUN is a non-profit, all-volunteer social network that sponsors FH events and disseminates community information. The focus is on building the community of young professionals, parents, and students in and around FH. Visitwww.fhun.net/
Strathmore will have programs for kids on The Backyard Theatre Stage - outdoors under a tent - on July 24: Rocknoceros- Hits from their latest CD, Dark Side of the Moon Bounce July 31: Cantaré - A celebration of life in Latin America with music and dance Visit www.strathmore.org
Rocknoceros - Photo courtesy of Strathmore - Click to enlarge
Osama (part of the Afghanistan on Film series) will be screened on August 1 at 2:30 p.m. (2003, 35 mm, 83 mins.) Photo courtesy of MGM/Photofest and the National Gallery of Art - Click to enlarge
FILM & TELEVISION:
+Added July 12: Strathmore will present the 2008 Comcast Outdoor Film Festival beginning Friday, August 15. Donations are requested, as the festival benefits National Institute of Health Children’s Charities. Vendors will sell food along the fairway. The festival will continue through August 24, with screenings of the Bee Movie, Spider Man 3, Airplane!, Ghostbusters, The Bourne Ultimatum, Evan Almighty, Transformers, Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix, and Shrek the Third. The title of an additional movie to be screened has not been announced as this is written. Visit www.strathmore.org/eventstickets/calendar.asp?m=8&y=2008&f=t
The National Gallery of Art Film Series is in progress on select days through September 6 and features Afghanistan on Film. The world's filmmaking community has taken great interest in Afghanistan in recent years, filming the country's cities and ancient landmarks. This film series complements the National Gallery’s ongoing exhibition of Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, which is described in the Arts column of this edition. Nonfiction, semi-fictional, and documentary works are being screened during the series, plus short subjects and television films. A second series, Michelangelo Antonioni: The Italian Treasures, is being screened on select days through August 24. Antonioni (1918–2007) has been called "the most modern and controversial artist of his generation." His 1960 film L'avventura is considered by some to be “the most debated film of all time and today regarded as one of the most influential.” This eight-part retrospective features Antonioni's most important Italian films. In addition to the series starting in July, Stanley Kubrick: Two Views will be screened on July 26, which would mark the eightieth birthday of the celebrated director (1928-1999). Two well-known film scholars, Robert Kolker and James Naremore, will review Kubrick’s contributions through a dialogue based on two of his landmark films: Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and his last film, Eyes Wide Shut. A third series, Manoel de Oliveira, Portuguese Marvel, will be screened on select days beginning August 16 and continuing on select days through September 28. The one-hundred-year-old film-maker is considered “the last of the great twentieth-century auteurs.” The films are screened in the Large Auditorium on the East Building Concourse. Visit www.nga.gov/programs/film/#film-series
+Added July 2: The Freer Gallery of Art is having their Annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival on select days, through August. The films are screened in the Meyer Auditorium and feature both new and old works that highlight Hong Kong’s cinematic achievements. This festival is co-sponsored by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. Some of the films are presented in the original Cantonese or Mandarin, with English subtitles. Visit www.asia.si.edu/press/
The National Museum of Women in the Arts is presenting the first Unidentifiable Video Observatory (OVNI)Festival in the U.S., through July 24. The theme is Exodus: The Margins of the Empire. OVNI is a Barcelona-based filmmaker and media programmers’ collective created in 1993 to make independent video accessible to the public. The festival features three evenings of outstanding video work by women from the 2008 OVNI Film Festival. The programs include “perspectives in different forms of marginalization and exploitation, stories of armed conflict zones, and reflections and perspectives on other realities and forms of organization that grow on the margins.” Visit www.nmwa.org
The National Theatre is screening The Films of Bette Davis on select Mondays this summer. The film icon can be seen in some of her signature appearances with other Hollywood stars. The upcoming films can be seen on:
July 28: All About Eve - a legendary actress is undermined by a young rival August 4: Mrs. Skeffington - the prettiest woman in NY loses her looks and power August 11: Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? - the ultimate sibling rivalry - with Joan Crawford Visit http://nationaltheatre.org/cinema%5Ccinema.htm
La Notte (part of the Michelangelo Antonioni film series) will be screened on August 15 at 4:30 p.m. (1961, 35 mm, 122 mins.) - Photo courtesy of Lopert Pictures Corporation/Photofest and The National Gallery of Art - Click to enlarge
FUNDRAISER:
+Added July 12: Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) Young Professionalswill present their fourth annual Brew at the Zoo on Thursday, August 21. Participants can sample beer and hors d’oeuvres from more than 20 microbreweries and area restaurants, enjoy animal demonstrations, and hear live music by a top local band. Proceeds from the event will support animal care, conservation science, education and sustainability at the National Zoo. FONZ notes that “You must be at least 21 years old to attend this event. A valid ID is required for admission.” Visit http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/YoungProfessionals/AfterHours/default.cfm
Photos of a previous Boo at the Zoo - Courtesy of Friends of the National Zoo - Click to enlarge
