We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
26
sunday
As glorified in Arthur Hiller’s 1963 film Miracle of the White Stallions, Gen. George S. Patton risked his soldiers’ lives to rescue Lipizzaner stallions from a war-torn Austria. There, they probably would have been eaten; having survived near-extinction at the hands of Hitler, however, the poor animals have gone on to suffer the slightly less abysmal fate of prancing about in Northern Virginia. Thankfully, this rare breed takes pride in its equine ballet: Descended from the World War II survivors, the picturesque white horses—trained in the Spanish Riding School of Vienna tradition—perform various types of dressage in The “World Famous” Lipizzaner Stallions, as well as some contemporary numbers including one set to big-band music. If it’s sounding froufrou, know that the classical Lipizzaner dance is hundreds of years old, refined from battlefield maneuvers. Guard the flank when the horses dance at 2 p.m. at George Mason University’s Patriot Center, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax. $23.50–$36. (202) 397-7328. (Kim Gooden)