Arts & Entertainment
‘Fire and Air’
Classical ballet, modern dance, Cherry weekend and more among season’s dance highlights
Dustin Kimball, left, and Junichi Fukada of Bowen McCauley Dance. (Photo by Jeff Malet; courtesy the company)
Washington Ballet, led by gay artistic director Septime Webre, is considered one the country’s finest ballet companies. This spring the company will put on several performances.
From March 5-9, the Ballet will perform “British Invasion: the Beatles and the Rolling Stones” at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater (2700 F St., N.W.). This three-piece production includes Trey McIntyre’s “A Day In the Life,” Christopher Bruce’s “Rooster” and “There Where She Loved.” Tickets start at $25 and are available at kennedy-center.org.
From April 16-25, the company’s “Peter Pan” will take audiences on a highflying adventure to Neverland. This coming-of-age story is told through the vibrant and powerful dances choreographed by Webre. Tickets range from $25-125 and can be purchased at kennedy-center.org.
And on April 23-25, for just three performances, the Washington Ballet will be presenting “Tour-de-Force,” a program that contains provocative and engaging classical and contemporary ballets. The centerpiece of the evening is George Balanchine’s “Themes and Variations,” which evokes the great period in classical dance where Russian Ballet flourished. Tickets are only available to subscribers and start at $35.
Bowen McCauley Dance performs at Atlas Intersections Festival today at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.). The performance will explore the environment’s influence in movement in “Afoot in Vienna” and “Fire and Air.” It also includes a re-imagination of Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” with a rare performance by Lucy Bowen McCauley herself. To purchase tickets, visit atlasarts.org.
The Atlas Intersections Festival ends Saturday. Intersections allows onlookers and artists to discover the collaborative energy of audiences and artists with eight days of boundary-crossing performances.
From April 1-6, the New York City Ballet performs Balanchine’s dazzling full-length piece “Jewels” at the Kennedy Center Opera House (2700 F St., N.W.). Tickets are on sale now and cost $25-95. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit kennedy-center.org.
On April 19 starting at 1 p.m., the gay-led Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company performs a new work at the National Portrait Gallery (8th and F streets, N.W.) where this company maintains its residency and performs regularly. It’s free.
Sean Dorsey Dance performs May 9-10 at Joe’s Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, Md., with a work called “Secret History of Love,” which reveals the ways that LGBT individuals found love and happiness in decades past. This work by transgender dance director is packed with full throttle dancing, riveting storytelling and truly reveals the strength of the human heart. Tickets are $22.
On May 16-17, Jessica Lang Dance premieres a new work at the Kennedy Center along with the National Symphony Orchestra (2700 F St., N.W.). For tickets visit kennedy-center.org.
Gay choreographer Kyle Abraham and his company Abraham.In.Motion will perform “Live: The Realest MC” on May 17-18 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.). Abraham, who was awarded a 2013 MacArthur Genius Award, has created a production that explores what it means to be a real boy a la Pinocchio. Tickets are $31.50 in advance or $35.50 at the door. Visit atlas arts.org for details.
The Bolshoi Ballet performst at the Kennedy Center May 20-25 with “Giselle,” a powerful piece that deals with betrayal, physical fragility and spiritual strength. Tickets are available by visiting kennedy-center.org.
From June 9-20, gay-helmed Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company partners with Georgetown Day School to allow advanced and intermediate dancers in seventh through 11th grades to have one-on-one instruction with members of the company.
Dance Place (3225 8th St., N.E.) is always the center of dance activity in Washington with performances every weekend as well as dance classes for adults and children.
In radically different dance news, the Chippendales male dance revue — geared to straight women but, like Playgirl, long a gay guilty pleasure — performs March 27 at 9 p.m. at the Fillmore in Silver Spring (8656 Colesville Rd.). Tickets are $25-35 and available at fillmoresilverspring.com.
And D.C.’s trademark benefit circuit party Cherry is the weekend of April 4-6 with DJs Eddie Elias, Paulo, Alain Jackinsky, Joe Gauthreaux, TWiN and Mike Reimer at the various locations throughout the weekend such as Cobalt and Town. This year’s event is dubbed “Metamorphosis.” Visit cherryfund.org for full details.
Out & About
Plan your wedding the LGBTQ way
Washington D.C. LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo scheduled for Sunday
Rainbow Wedding Network will host “Washington D.C. LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo” on Sunday, March 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Guests can meet and mingle with a curated selection of LGBTQ-welcoming wedding professionals from across the region, each ready to help bring your vision to life, and spend a beautiful afternoon exploring everything they need to create a celebration that reflects them.
There will be a relaxed, self-guided look at the Watergate’s spaces and amenities, savor signature cocktails and delicious tasting samples, and connect with other couples who are on the same journey.
Visit Eventbrite to reserve a spot.
Friday, February 27
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga and Drag Bingo will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour Meetup” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].
Saturday, February 28
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black lesbian. You do not need to be a member of the Beta Kappa Chapter or the Beta Phi Omega Sorority in order to join, but they do ask that you either identify as a lesbian or are questioning that aspect of your identity.Send an email to [email protected] to receive the zoom link.
Sunday, March 1
LGBTQ+ Community Coffee and Conversation will be at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for people looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ community. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, March 2
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
Tuesday, March 3
Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more details, email [email protected].
Wednesday, March 4
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.
Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. There will be discussion, activities, and a chance for guests to share what they want future events to include. For more information, email [email protected].
Thursday, March 5
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
a&e features
Transmission DC breathes new life into a storied sound space
A fresh home for boundary-pushing culture on H Street
Late last year, phoenix-style, a fresh home for boundary-pushing culture arose on the H Street corridor. Transmission DC – a queer, trans, and POC-owned, operated, and centered community-focused venue – powered on in the former home to the Rock & Roll Hotel (famously, not a hotel, but very much rock & roll). Transmission (1353 H St., N.E.) arrives secure in its mandate – or even birthright – to provide a place to celebrate creativity and music through a lens of inclusivity and respect.
Transmission’s team brings experience, but also representation. Owners/partners Kabir Khanna (who is also programming director), Katii B, Ellie McDyre, and Kelli Kerrigan together previously managed 618 productions, a venue in Chinatown, crafting “some of D.C.’s freakiest parties, raves, and mosh pits” they note.
They packed up operations last fall to a space curated specifically for D.C.’s underground music and culture scene, building their efforts in Chinatown to bring in more fans in queer and POC circles.
Transmission, Khanna points out, is built on DIY values. In the music scene, DIY means that promoters and organizers – often disconnected from the mainstream and part of marginalized communities – build shows and programs collaboratively, but independently from institutions, supporting each other as smaller, independent venues close. Here, Transmission aims to ensure that those putting together these underground inclusive shows have a more permanent and stable home, can have access to resources, and can provide more sustainable income to artists. “We’re trying to get more people to support and enjoy the music, and also give artists and organizers within the DIY community more structure and a larger cut,” says Khanna.
Khanna also notes that Transmission operates “under the principles of safety, inclusivity, and respect.” McDyre added that even at venues that claim inclusivity, that statement might not take place in practice. We’re “not just pitting up a rainbow flag,” says McDyre, but as some of the owners are trans and POC, audiences can see themselves reflected at the top.
Much like the DIY nature of the music community, the Transmission owners brought a DIY ethos to turning around their space.
In March 2020 – the height of COVID lockdowns – Rock & Roll Hotel suddenly shuttered, though not due to the pandemic; instead, the venue claimed that decreasing sales and increasing competition led to the closure. For 14 years, it was the central spot for cheap beer and lesser-known and celebrated acts. The space stood vacant for more than five years, until Transmission turned the power back on.
“When we got into the space, it was effectively abandoned for years,” says Khanna. “There was a ton of mold, and paint primer covering all surfaces. It was nearly falling apart.” Khanna noted that many music venues like this one, regardless of how well it was maintained, “get the shit kicked out of it,” given the nature of shows. The team called in mold removal contractors, ripped up most of the floorboards, and started fresh.
Transmission’s first floor is styled as a stripped-down black box: the better to take in the music. “It’s minimal on purpose to act as a canvas for set design and music,” without a specific aesthetic, says Khanna. Moving upstairs, the second floor has been opened up, removing some walls, and now has a larger dance area than the first floor. Beyond the first two performance levels, and a holdover from Rock & Roll Hotel, is the rooftop. Though without a stage, the rooftop space is filled with murals splashed across the walls, with a full bar. Transmission’s current capacity is 496, but the team is looking to grow that number. Transmission will also leverage the full kitchen that Rock & Roll Hotel operated, bringing in Third Hand Kitchen to offer a variety of food, including vegan and vegetarian options.
Khanna pointed out an upcoming show reflective of Transmission’s inclusive ethos: Black Techo Matters on Feb. 27. The event is set to be “a dynamic, collaborative night of underground electronic music celebrating Black History Month.” Khanna says that techno came from Black music origins, and this event will celebrate this genesis with a host of artists, including DJ Stingray 313, Carlos Souffront, and Femanyst.
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