Hip-Hop Beginner Dance

They say to dance like nobody’s watching, but it sure would be nice if you knew a proper move or two. Fortunately, Natasha Hawkins, a longtime D.C. dancer, knows more than a handful. She has served as the director of DCypher Dance, been a dancer with the Life, Rhythm, Move Project, and performed on stages at the White House, the Kennedy Center, and the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Now, on behalf of Element Urban Arts Collective, she is bringing her expertise and choreography to your living room. In a one-hour lesson hosted by nonprofit Artomatic, Hawkins will focus on choreography, technique, and cultural perspective in hip-hop dance. Although the class is intended for beginners, it promises to be a high-energy way to dive into the movement. Dance technique will start with old-school, groove-heavy motions and progress to the new-school, dynamic energy. Hawkins will also help participants work on coordination, energy, musicality, and style. By the end of the hour, you’ll be sweaty, energized, and ready to bust out some new dance moves. The event begins at 3 p.m. on Aug. 9. Registration is available at eventbrite.com. Free. —Sarah Smith

Writing Past the False Dichotomy

Is a dream a real experience? And does experiencing something make it real? Is a story told and retold across generations “true,” even if it evolves over time? Furthermore, how much of our history actually … isn’t? Depending on where and when you cross it, the line between truth and untruth can be fuzzy or fine, so it’s a bit limiting when writing workshops classify fiction and nonfiction as perfectly separate genres. Enter the ongoing Writing Past the False Dichotomy workshop series from Rhizome DC, where authors are encouraged to break through the barriers of reality to write “true fiction, invented nonfiction, and experimental whateverings.” Journalism this is not. If the truth gets in the way of where your writing is taking you, blow it up. Conversely, if you need to rip pages from the headlines and history books (or even from the book of your own life, if you’re up to it), so be it. Make fiction from a collage of facts or pull a War of the Worlds and invent your own “true story.” The workshop will be taught by Anna Josephson, an area novelist and essayist. Rhizome DC, a Takoma-based nonprofit community arts space, has been offering a variety of online events since the start of quarantine, including “Dream Cafes” and workshops on DJing and puppetry. The event begins at 10 a.m. on Aug. 9. Registration is available at withfriends.co. $5–$15. —Will Lennon