At the front of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, an envelope full of cards labeled “See For Yourself!” invites viewers in. “Look inside! This is no ordinary guide,” it beckons, asking visitors to take an envelope to carry around the galleries. In the front of the packet, a folded guide tells visitors how to enhance their experiences and highlights how to get children to engage with art (“Hunt for shapes;” “Tell a story”). One of the most interesting See For Yourself cards highlights two photos from Janaina Tschäpe‘s overpowering, wry series 100 Little Deaths—”Living Room” and “Moais”—and tells viewers more about how “each photograph in this series vacillates between reality and fantasy, comedy and tragedy.” Tschäpe’s photographs, which depict her lying prone and vulnerable in locales across the world, are heartrending and hilarious. Their double entendre winks at us (a woman lying flat, her “little deaths” for the taking) and reminds us that anywhere—outdoors, indoors, Rapa Nui, Scotland, Italy—can be a site of danger for a woman; that to live at all is to Live Dangerously, as the larger exhibit’s name suggests. —Emma Sarappo
FRIDAY
QuotidianLike Ralph Eugene Meatyard and Sally Mann, Alain Laboile uses his children as grist for meditative black-and-white photography in pastoral settings. Some images showcase Laboile’s design chops, such as “Sur un nuage,” in which a child is seen from directly above, their body resolved into a tight circle against a smoothly dappled floor. But as with the works of Meatyard and Mann, Laboile’s images possess an unsettling undercurrent, punctuated by dashes of nudity. Read more >>> The exhibition runs to Oct. 21 at Leica Store DC, 977 F St. NW. Free. (202) 787-5900. leicacamerausa.com/washington. (Louis Jacobson)
Shura and Hannah Cohen put on a show full of clear-eyed, honest, confident pop. 8:30 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $20–$30.
Charli XCX, whose collaborations with Icona Pop and Iggy Azalea catapulted her to fame, is a solo artist to be reckoned with on Charli. 8 p.m. at 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $30.
STABLE, D.C.’s newest art space, kicks off its first exhibit with a nighttime soiree. 8 p.m. at STABLE, 327 S St. NE. $30.
SATURDAY
Hocus PocusDance, dance, dance until you die! Fans of the Halloween cult film Hocus Pocus will have a chance to do just that at the Smithsonian’s screening and after-viewing dance party. Kenny Ortega’s 1993 movie was not successful by any traditional metric—it currently has a Rotten Tomatoes critics approval rating of 33 percent and had a modest box office run. But Hocus Pocus has earned quite the following thanks to DVD sales, millennial nostalgia, a growing obsession with the so-called spooky season, and the film’s loveable (and oh-so-silly) plot. Read more >>> The film screens at 3 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 6:30 p.m., and 8 p.m. at the National Museum of American History’s Warner Bros Theater, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. $8.50–$36. (202) 633-1000. americanhistory.si.edu. (Sarah Smith)
The Petworth library hosts its first event in a series that explores D.C. history and public art. 1 p.m. at Petworth Neighborhood Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW. Free.
The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra’s Lakota Music Project debuts downtown. 2 p.m. at the National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street and Independence Avenue NW. Free.
Hiroshima, known for incorporating traditional Japanese instruments into their funky music, celebrate their 40th anniversary. 7:30 p.m. at The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $49.50.
SUNDAY
Eric LichtblauThe story in Eric Lichtblau’s Return to the Reich: A Holocaust Refugee’s Secret Mission to Defeat the Nazis plays like a mashup of Captain America and Inglourious Basterds, and yet, against all odds, it’s true. Fred Mayer escaped Hitler’s Germany and moved with his family to Brooklyn in 1938. Soon after, he took a gig with the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the modern C.I.A., and returned to Europe to fight the Nazi menace. Mayer became a spy, a soldier, and a master of disguise, weaving his way through the war, posing as a German officer and a French prisoner of war to complete his missions. Read more >>> Eric Lichtblau speaks at 3 p.m. at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free. (202) 364-1919. politics-prose.com. (Will Lennon)
Enjoy brunch and booze with Jami Attenberg—and hear her speak about her new novel, All This Could Be Yours, too. 1 p.m. at Loyalty Bookstore, 827 Upshur St. NW. $30–$50.
Grammy winner Cory Henry brings his band The Funk Apostles and opener Ric Wilson to his D.C. show. 8 p.m. at Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. Free–$30.
D.C. band Lavender celebrate their new releases in Northeast. 8 p.m. at Pie Shop DC, 1339 H St. NE. $12.
MONDAY
WitchIn the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Rolling Stones weren’t just wowing fans in the UK, Europe, and the U.S.—they were also making an impression in Zambia. There, singer Emmanuel Chanda got the nickname Jagari (a Zambian take on Mick Jagger), and beginning in 1971, he became a regional star with the band Witch. His group melded the Stones, Hendrix, James Brown, and psychedelia with Zambian elements. The band’s name was an acronym for “We Intend to Cause Havoc,” and for a period, they did—Jagari was jumping off balconies onto stages and wailing soulfully. Read more >>> Witch perform at 7:30 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $20. (877) 987-6487. unionstage.com. (Steve Kiviat)
Emma Gray and Claire Fallon, hosts of a popular podcast on The Bachelor, are definitely Here to Make Friends. 8 p.m. at the Miracle Theatre, 513 8th St. SE. $25–$75.
Juan Wauters reintroduces himself on Introducing Juan Pablo. 8 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $12–$15.
Day one of Black Women Cinema Week includes film screenings and a script writing workshop. 7 p.m. at Eaton DC, 1201 K St. NW. Free–$20.
TUESDAY
Washington International Horse ShowAnd now for something completely different: an international equestrian tour. For “horse people” in the D.C. area, there’s nothing better than hours and hours of jumping, hunting, and trick riding at the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS). For six days, Capital One Arena will play host to a cavalcade of professional, amateur, and junior hunting and jumping events, as well as an open Barn Night later in the week. The extravaganza features 500 top horses and riders competing for over $500,000 in prize money. Read more >>> The Washington International Horse Show runs to Oct. 27 at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. $2–$65. wihs.org. (Tristan Jung)
Rap gets elevated when Young Thug and Machine Gun Kelly team up. 8 p.m. at the Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. $50–$249.
Miss the Midwest? Thanks to the Illinois State Society, you can get a Taste of Illinois. 6 p.m. at Eastern Market, 225 7th St. SE. $30–$100.
Foy Vance makes Southern music by way of Bangor, Northern Ireland. 8 p.m. at Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW. $25–$28.
WEDNESDAY
Stiff Little FingersWhat’s punk rock’s birth year? 1977 has as strong a claim as any. In those days, London had The Sex Pistols, New York had The Ramones, and Belfast had Stiff Little Fingers. But where the Ramones and the Pistols sang to disaffected youth living in the dreary detritus of a Cold War, Stiff Little Fingers were forged in the fires of a hot one: Their debut album, Inflammable Material, emerged in the thick of The Troubles. Read more >>> Stiff Little Fingers perform at 7:30 p.m. at Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $25–$30. (202) 667-4490. blackcatdc.com. (Will Lennon)
Ingrid Michaelson, the indie-folk voice of a certain generation, has leaned into fun, exuberant pop. 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. $55.
Macy Gray‘s a living legend with soulful, powerhouse vocals. 8 p.m. at The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. $40–$45.
Alice Gorman takes archaeology into orbit in her new book Dr. Space Junk vs. The Universe. 7 p.m. at Politics and Prose at the Wharf, 70 District Square SW. Free.
THURSDAY
ClaudSinger-songwriter Claud Mintz, who now performs as Claud, started recording music in their dorm room at Syracuse University as Toast. Then, due to a reported “fear of being sued by Wonder Bread,” the artist changed their name. But this inside joke has only added to the mystique of Claud, who dropped out of college to focus on their professional music career. Read more >>> Claud performs at 8 p.m. at Songbyrd Music House, 2477 18th St. NW. $13–$15. (202) 450-2917. songbyrddc.com. (Casey Embert)
The Washington West Film Festival kicks off with C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels. 7 p.m. at Bow Tie Cinemas, 11940 Market St., Reston. $50–$250.
HBO’s groundbreaking and acclaimed comedy series Los Espookys hits the road as a live show (in English). 10:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. $25.
Texas-bred Josh Abbott Band are bringing their specific “JAB-style” goodness up north. 7 p.m. at 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $25.
NEWS AND REVIEWS YOU CAN USE
News: Two distinct go-go movements are energizing the city’s cultural scene.
News: City Paper chatted with the reopened Anacostia Community Museum’s new director.
News: Learn how the Washington Ballet’s new show came together in just two weeks.
Books: Leslie Jamison returns to the form that made her famous in the mature Make It Scream, Make It Burn.
Books: The Guest Book examines race, class, and the emotions of parenting through the lives of generations.
Books: Local author Sid Balman Jr.‘s Seventh Flag is “the book Donald Trump doesn’t want you to read.”
Theater: Put your feet up and settle in at Crystal Creek Motel.
Theater: Escaped Alone is confusing, but if you want to stay and chat about it, there’s tea after the show.
Film: Parasite is Bong Joon-ho‘s masterwork.
OFFICE OF FUTURE PLANNING
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday for Bob Dylan at the Anthem on Dec. 8. 8 p.m. at 901 Wharf St. SW. $65–$165.
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday for Hayley Kiyoko at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Feb. 13. 8 p.m. at 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Ticket prices to be announced at time of sale.