Arts & Entertainment
SPRING ARTS 2019 DANCE: Pirouettes and arabesques
Dorsey Dance Company’s gender exploration among season’s dance highlights
The Washington Ballet presents “The Sleeping Beauty” through March 3 at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.). The classic tale is reimagined as a ballet with the familiar characters of Princess Aurora, her prince and her wicked fairy godmother Carabosse. Tickets range from $25-160. For more information, visit washingtonballet.org.
Dissonance Dance Theatre performs “Fluid” at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.) on Sunday, March 3 at 2:30 p.m. Set to the music of Ezio Bosso, the dance explores the themes of trust, lost, betrayal and love, through contemporary ballet inspired by physical theater and Afro-modern dance. Tickets are $30. For more details, visit atlasarts.org/events/fluid.
Akiko Kitamura presents “Cross Transit” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on March 19 at 7:30 p.m. “Cross Transit” focuses on Cambodia’s folk culture using movement choreographed by Kitamura. The work is inspired by artists Kitamura encountered during his field work in Cambodia provided by funding from the Japan Society. Tickets range from $29-39. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.
Bon Iver and TU Dance present “Come Through” to kick-off the Kennedy Center’s Direct Current series on Monday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. The performance includes new music from Bon Iver bandmate Justin Vernon and new choreography from TU Dance. “Come Through” is a blend of modern dance and classical ballet with African-based movements.Tickets range from $49-189. For more details, visit kennedy-center.org.
The Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) presents the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company’s “Analogy Trilogy” as part of its Direct Current series from March 28-30. The company will perform “Analogy/Dora: Tramontane” on Thursday, March 28. This show is based on an oral history that Jones received from mother-in-law, a French Jewish nurse and social worker, as she told him about her story of survival during World War II. “Analogy/Lance: Pretty aka the Escape Artist” is on Friday, March 29. This performance explores the struggles of Jones’s nephew Lance as he navigates the club culture and sex trade of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. “Analogy/Ambros: The Emigrant” is on Saturday, March 30 and is inspired by the novel “The Emigrant” by W.G. Seblad. Tickets range from $29-79. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.
The Washington Ballet presents its annual program “Three World Premieres” in Sidney Harmon Hall (610 F St., N.W.) April 3-7. Audiences can experience three, never-before-seen works by choreographers Dana Genshaft, Trey McIntyre and Ethan Stiefel. Tickets range from $25-100. For more information, visit washingtonballet.org.
Shen Yun returns to the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) April 17-21 to perform “5,000 Years of Civilization Reborn,” a performance that recreates the spirit of ancient China. The dance incorporates intricate costumes, a theatrical background and an orchestra to revisit various eras of China’s past up until the present. Tickets range from $80-250. For more details, visit kennedy-center.org.
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater brings its 60th anniversary tour to the Modell Lyric (140 W. Mt Royal Ave., Baltimore) April 23-24. In 1958, Alvin Ailey, who was gay, founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and since then the company has celebrated African-American heritage and other cultures in performances for an estimated 25 million people
On April 23, the dance company will perform “Lazarus” and “Revelations.” On April 24, the company will perform the works “Members Don’t Get Weary,” The Call,” “Pause,” “Juba” and “Revelations.” Tickets range from $36-46. For more information, visit modell-lyric.com.
Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance presents “Tracings” at the National Portrait Gallery (8th St., N.W. and F St., N.W.) on May 4 at 6 p.m. The work, choreographed by Burgess (who’s gay), examines the Korean planation experience in Hawaii. Admission is free. For more details, visit dtsbdc.org.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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