The DC Downhill Club is just one of the featured subjects of DC Shorts WINS! (Photo via Facebook)
This weekend, you can get in the Valentine’s Day spirit early or not at all with events centered around love, charity, magic, and more.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10
SING-ALONG: It’s atypical for A People’s Choir DC to host sing-alongs on Fridays, so if you haven’t had a chance to unleash your inner pop star on a Monday or Tuesday, don’t miss this chance to sing-along to breakup songs including “Bye, Bye, Bye,” “Fuck You,” and “I Will Survive.” (DC9 Nightclub, 6:30-8:30 p.m. FREE)
PILLOW MAKING: Valentine’s Day is coming, which means this will be the first of many opportunities to make your own Valentine’s Day gifts. Sip, Sew & Art at the West Elm Pop-up at Lab 1270 @ Union Market will provide students with all the materials needed to make your own Valentine’s Day card and sew your own pillow (no sewing experience required). Light refreshments will be served. (6:30-9 p.m., $40)
SHORT FILMS: Experience the best of last year’s DC Shorts Film Festival at DC Shorts Wins! Choose from one of two 90 minute showcases (or settle in for a full night of both) that won a Jury or Audience Award. Selections include DCDC, a look at club of members who skate in drained pools, and Rated, which shows a world where adults have star ratings floating over their heads. (Miracle Theatre, 7 or 9 p.m., $25-25)
OPENING RECEPTIONS: Choose between two opening receptions taking place on Friday night. Selfie: Me, Myself, and Us features eight artists exploring concepts of “identity, transformation, and personal deception.” (Flashpoint Gallery, 6-8 p.m. FREE) Meanwhile, Pathfinders by Michael Pratt features Pratt’s larger-than-life combinations of photography, digital imagery, and printmaking that celebrate “trailblazers, knowledge-seekers, problem-solvers, and revolutionaries.” ( Honfleur Gallery, 6-9 p.m. FREE)
More: Awkward Sex…and the City, Drunk Show, Aztec Sun, Comedy Show, Wine Tasting, Literary Cocktails
Cupid’s Undie Run 2016 (Photo by Josh Marks)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11
UNDIES: It’s that time again to strip down to your skivvies and jog around the U.S. Capitol for charity. Cupid’s Undie Run returns to raise money for the Children’s Tumor Foundation and neurofibromatosis research. Participants can run individually or as part of a team. The event kicks off with a party and awards ceremony before the 1-ish mile run. (The Park at 14th, 1-5 p.m., $35)
ILLUSIONS: Ivan Amodei’s Intimate Illusions show is a mashup of magic, storytelling, and live music with audience participation. Critics praise it for being witty, humorous, dazzling, and entertaining. (Mayflower Hotel, 2 p.m., $65)
ART PARTY: Silver Spring will be filled with art, food, music, and more. Light the Way’s celebrates the opening of The Pearl (180 High Park Lane), a new luxury apartment complex. The event’s artistic attraction is a 45-foot inflatable light sculpture that was designed to “playfully reinterpret the concept of a meditation labyrinth.” People can step inside the installation and explore while being surrounded by trees and light. The goal is to reemerge with “a renewed sense of happiness, harmony and peace.” The event will also feature music, food trucks offering complimentary bites, and more. (The Pearl, 4:30-8 p.m., FREE)
LITERARY MATCH: Looking for an event that combines literature, comedy, and games? Check out the Literary Death Match, where four writers will compete in “an edge-of-your-seat read-off,” which will be critiqued by judges that include an award-winning author and reporters from The Washington Post, the Huffington Post, and ESPN’s The Undefeated. The event will conclude with a showdown to crown the winner. (The Black Cat, 8:05 p.m., $15)
GRAFFITI LESSON: Words Beats & Life is inviting folks to spray paint inside of its Columbia Heights headquarters. At Scratch Vinyls, Sip Wine, & Spray Paint, artists will give graffiti lessons using a 9-foot tall practice wall, and DJs will teach participants how to create original mixes. Wine will be served. (1525 Newton Street NW, 6 p.m. $30)
DANCE CLASS: Can’t dance? Here’s a chance to learn from one of the best. Nasha Thomas, a former principal dancer at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, is teaching some moves from the company’s most iconic work, Revelations. The Revelation Workshop runs for an hour with no intermission. (Kennedy Center, 5:30 p.m., FREE)
More: Cooking Class, Drink & Ink, Nerd Nite, Prince vs. George Michael , Love Storytelling, Youth Invasion.
Vina Sananikone, a D.C.-based graphic designer, photographer, and food enthusiast, is teaching folks how to take stylish food pics. (Photo via event page)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12:
FOOD STYLING: Before you eat that treat, learn how to make it look photogenic. In this Food Styling & Photography Workshop, graphic designer, photographer, and food enthusiast Vina Sananikone will teach some tricks of the trade using Valentine’s Day sweets. (Lemon Bowl, 11 a.m., $65).
NASTY CARDS: Got a valentine who’s a nasty gal, activist, or person who just needs some inspiration in these uncertain times? Make them a card at one of Columbia Height’s most celebrated dive bars. Organizers of Be My Nasty Valentine! will supply participants with a set of six “resistance-inspired postcards” to screen print. (Red Derby, 2-6 p.m., FREE)
More: Potato Printing, Step Afrika!, Flower Crowns.
