In the fall of 2008, as the nation’s economy was teetering on the brink of collapse, the Kennedy Center launched its Arts in Crisis initiative. The project was initially conceived as a website through which administrators of struggling arts programs could interact and seek help from volunteer mentors at stable institutions. In conjunction with this online effort, Kennedy Center president Michael M. Kaiser went on a 69-city speaking tour that took him to all 50 states.

The tour ended last Friday, with an event in Boise, Idaho. To commemorate this 18-month effort, the Kennedy Center is mounting An American Playlist, three days of free performances that are part of its Performing Arts for Everyone program, which is responsible for the Millennium Stage.

“The message is ‘What did Michael [Kaiser] learn?’,” said Garth Ross, Director of Performing Arts for Everyone. “What he learned is there always has been and continues to be tremoundous vitality in American arts.”

To that end, An American Playlist is designed to showcase a true cross-section of the national arts scene, by discipline, geography, and generation. Last night marked the auspicious start of the event with an evening of spoken word and hip-hop that featured a host of impressive young poets. Local band Mambo Sauce added a distinctive D.C. flavor, while hosting duties were performed by Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson from The Roots. The guest artists, most in their late teens and early twenties, came from as far away as Hawaii and India, and stood alongside members of the D.C. Youth Poetry Slam Team. The poetry ran the gamut from political, to empowering, to humorous — but in total was completely uplifting and moving.