April 22 Is Now “Sixth & I Day” Across the District
There are few local cultural spaces as influential as the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. For the past two decades, the community center and venue has made thought-provoking entertainment accessible to people across the District and this April, it is celebrating 20 years of being a cultural hub. Located in the heart of Chinatown, Sixth…
2024 Spring Arts Guide
D.C.’s State of the Arts You might think that after three years I’d be bored with our biannual arts guides. Haven’t we seen and done it all, you might ask? After all this time steeped in the arts in D.C., am I not immune to her charms? The reality is that each and every time…
Diana Movius Uses Dance to Inspire New Climate Activists
Climate change has been a key part of Diana Movius’ life ever since the fourth grade. She distinctly remembers that day in elementary school when a scientist came to talk to her class about deforestation and climate change. “I was just absolutely devastated. Because before that, I had no idea that climate change was a…
Anastasia Johnson Takes the Helm as Dance Place’s Next Education Director
In February, Dance Place hosted a “hair show,” billed as a journey about Black hair and its symbolism of Black resilience, art, culture, and pride. City Paper receives at least 100 inquiries about upcoming dance performances a year—and this one, “Color Me (Curly) Hair,” is one of the most original we’ve seen. The event brought…
Revenue High, Spirits Higher at the Washington Ballet
The magical Christmas tree wasn’t the only greenery growing at the Washington Ballet’s The Nutcracker in December. The company made $3.4 million in ticket revenue from 31 performances at the Warner Theatre—not counting its three shows at THEARC. To put it in perspective: That’s about $200,000 less than the production’s all-time high in 2022, but…
Come to the Cabaret: Nova Y. Payton Sings Burt Bacharach
American songwriter Burt Bacharach didn’t have to die to have a moment, but he did have to die to get a D.C. cabaret. Nova Y. Payton, one of Washington’s most beloved theater artists, acknowledged that reality early on in her endearing 90-minute cabaret act, “That’s What Friends Are For.” (The tuneful evening at Arlington’s Signature…
Kink for a Cause at MAL Weekend
D.C. is seen by many as a historically buttoned-up city, but the buttons will come undone this weekend for the annual Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend. MAL Weekend thrusts the city’s thriving kink and leather subcultures into the limelight for a range of events at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. And Zach Renovátes, Dougie Meyer, and…
The Nutcracker at Warner Theatre Is Showing Its Age As New Choreography Adds Life
From a distance, the Washington Ballet’s The Nutcracker glitters. But up close, the production shows its age. The hanging scenery is frayed. One of the carousel horse’s tails is glued back on. The settee where Clara falls asleep in act one is patched and tattered. “It used to be just green,” says Suzi Kilbourne, production…
COVID Hit All Artists Hard, But For Dancer Kit Aylesworth the Pandemic Put Their Life on Pause
Kit Aylesworth, 25, graduated from American University with a double major in dance and musical theater in May 2020. It was not a promising time for a student who aspired to become a professional dancer. “Dance was basically nonexistent when I graduated,” Aylesworth says. They had already done the legwork, both literally—American’s dance major requires 12…
Not a Side Hustle: Lauren DeVera Is a Multi-Passionate Dance Entrepreneur
Lauren DeVera felt Los Angeles calling in 2010 after she completed her bachelor’s degree in dance. Getting to the city was both a pressure and a dream. Everyone she knew who wanted to dance professionally seemed to be moving out west, and DeVera couldn’t imagine Chantilly, her hometown, offering many comparable opportunities. But the fallout…
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