Our Spiritual Journey

On Feb. 28, The Dance Institute of Washington will christen its new theater with the performance Our Spiritual Journey, danced live by students and streamed on the Institute’s website, YouTube, and Facebook. Created and directed by Ashanté Green, the production invites viewers to journey through the history of Black culture and ancestry in honor of Black History Month. DIW’s students and choreographers will present seven scenes of dance, visually moving through bondage and toward hope. Its new performance space is called the Fabian Barnes Black Box Theater, named after DIW’s late founder; the new space is the second Black-owned theater in all of D.C., including Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium, according to a press release. Barnes started the Institute in 1987 while on summer break from performing with Dance Theatre of Harlem in the hopes of providing opportunities for children to develop artistically, emotionally, and intellectually through dancing. In the three decades since, hundreds of young dancers have studied ballet, modern, and Afrocentric dance at the Institute. This space and this performance honor their legacy. The performance begins at 6 p.m. on Feb. 28. Streaming is available at danceinstituteofwashington.org, Facebook, and YouTube. Free.