Watch an intricate dance 10 years in the making
We’re already in for a chilly Friday, so why not embrace the frigid? Bundle up and head to the Kennedy Center for “Coldness & Lightness,” a performance featuring eight dancers who move through a “tenuous landscape.” Silver Spring-based dancer Ashley Thorndike-Youssef and composer Peter V. Swendsen refined the dance over a 10-year period. Attendees are in for a visually arresting composition that encapsulates the delicate dimensions of coldness and lightness through movement—brrr.
Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, Friday, 6 p.m.
Listen to a curated roster of local bands while browsing artwork
Rock out with a roster of local bands selected by the Washington City Paper’s arts editor and former DCist editor-in-chief Matt Cohen. The female-fronted showcase, part of the Smithsonian Year of Music and the American Women’s History Initiative, features the slowly unfolding compositions of Jax Deluca and the brooding melodies of Knife Wife. Plus, free beer tastings for those 21 and up from Mustang Sally Brewing Company.
SAAM’s Luce Center, Friday, 6 p.m
Swap out a succulent for a neighbor’s—and learn how to make your plants happier
Drop by the Mount Pleasant Library with your plants, cuttings, and seeds—and take new ones from fellow green-thumbed Washingtonians home. Introduce your plant to its beaming new parent by labeling it with this extremely cute plant name tag, and consult plant-keeping books for the best practices to take care of your new baby.
Mount Pleasant Library, Saturday, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
For Women’s History Month, tell your story through a quilt
The T-shirts that a woman collects over the years can tell a lot about who she was, is, and strives to be. These pieces detail the things that she likes or dislikes, her social life, things she holds near and dear to her heart. Bring 6-12 T-shirts to this two-part workshop and learn basic sewing techniques to put together a useful, easy-care quilt that becomes a family heirloom and keepsake. Registration is recommended.
Hillcrest Heights Community Center, Saturday, 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
What ever happened to Chocolate City?
D.C. garnered the nickname “Chocolate City” after it became the first majority-black city in the nation. The nickname was used for decades—until racial demographics changed. Through the lenses of three generations of Washingtonians, filmmaker Mignotae Kebede explores how gentrification is changing black D.C. communities in her critically acclaimed documentary, What Happened 2 Chocolate City. Watch the film at Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum and afterwards, stick around for a panel discussion with the filmmaker. Seating available on a first come, first serve basis.
Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, Sunday, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
