Expect Good Hope Road SE to be busier than usual Friday when the Anacostia Arts Center opens two new art exhibits and neighboring Honfleur Gallery opens a third. Both feature art by residents of wards 7 and 8 as part of the “Art Art Art” celebration. The Arts Center will also host a “Metro Mambo” dance with music by Latin act Eddie Drennon (pictured) and Charanga Soul, plus a discussion with Drennon, Cuban painter Gustavo Díaz Sosa, and Anacostia-based photographer Jonathan French led by WPFW DJ Jim Byers. Drennon, a violinist who has performed with Celia Cruz and Bo Diddley and now mainly teaches music, is making a rare public appearance. Read more >>> The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Road SE. Free. (202) 631-6291. anacostiaartscenter.org. (Steve Kiviat)
EAT THIS
Rasika reopened last night after undergoing nearly half a million dollars in renovations. The four-star Indian restaurant has all-new furniture and a new look as well as a revamped menu. Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj and chef Vikram Sunderam went through 10 years worth of menus and have brought back some old favorites plus introduced some new dishes. One of the additions is a Gujarati lasagna, which Sunderam created for a visit from the prime minister of India. Read more on Young & Hungry. Rasika, 633 D St. NW. (202) 637-1222. rasikarestaurant.com. (Jessica Sidman)
OH AND ALSO
Friday: All-women percussion group Batalá, which includes nearly 80 members, plays a midday show at Martin Luther King Library. Noon at 901 G St. NW. Free.
Friday: Legendary Peruvian group Los Wemblers de Iquitos have played throughout D.C. for the past several weeks and now take the stage for an intimate and lively set at Tropicalia. 8 p.m. at 2001 14th St. NW. $10.
Friday: In what has now become something of a D.C. tradition, Landless Theatre remounts its prog rock version of Steven Sondheim‘s murderous musical Sweeney Todd. 8 p.m. at 1333 H St. NE. $29.
Saturday: The Hip-Hop Theater Festival has been going on for 15 years and highlights work by b-boys young and old, DJs, and storytellers from around the District. The weekend’s lineup focuses on street choreography, with young emcees trying out their rhymes and competing for a cash prize, plus a headlining performance by choreographer Raphael Xavier. He uses 20 years of remembered verses, stories, and movements to share memories of his career with the audience. Read more >>> Raphael Xavier performs at 8 p.m. at Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE. $15–$30. (202) 269-1600. danceplace.org. (Caroline Jones)
Saturday: Local fuzzfolk band Typefighter performs at Rock & Roll Hotel with fellow D.C.-based bands Two Inch Astronaut and the Effects. 8 p.m. at 1353 H St. NE. $12.
Saturday: After a long night of theater-watching, head to the Logan Fringe Arts Space to check out a late night cabaret featuring Cajun and soul music from Little Red and The Renegades, Backbeat Underground, and the Three Man Soul Machine. 9:30 p.m. at 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Free.
Sunday: Chaz French’s music is drenched in blood, sweat, and tears. The rapper throws himself head first into his musical projects, and the passion was evident on his 2014 mixtape, Happy Belated. French’s style—the impassioned sermon of a preacher who’s living with demons—is rooted in the D.C.-based artist’s influences. The sway of gospel music is obvious, but the bounce of traditional southern hip-hop is also present. His explosive, free-form style even nods at the abstract graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Whatever his motivation, the combination makes French an energetic live performer—a talent he’ll flex during his night at U Street Music Hall. Read more >>> Chaz French performs with Kelow, Jay IDK, and Mista Selecta at 7 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. $15. (202) 588-1889. ustreetmusichall.com. (Julian Kimble)
Sunday: As part of its ongoing series celebrating documentary filmmakers Albert and David Maysles, the National Gallery of Art screens What’s Happening, their 1964 look at the Beatles’ first trip to America. 4 p.m. at 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free.
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