For dance lovers looking to get into the holiday spirit, The Nutcracker is a must at this time of year. Thankfully, the Washington D.C. area has numerous performances of the beloved ballet from which to choose. While there’s over a dozen performances ranging in size from huge ballet troupes to small dance studios, here’s a few that stand out among the rest. American Ballet Theater: Few companies can compete with the size and talents of…

Seriously, how much more ironic could this be? Queen Elizabeth II is visiting Washington today. Washington was named for one of the leaders of the fight for independence against the repressive British empire — then led by King George III — a battle that was in part provoked by a general frustration with the levying of taxes and the denial of representation. And yet, over 200 years later, the residents of Washington still pay taxes…

From time to time, we have a little miscommunication here at the site, and the morning roundup doesn’t get up as it normally does. Then we play a little game called live-blogging. First Stop: I’m sure it comes as a shock that we tend to hit the Washington Post first thing in the morning. Being a demographics geek, my eyes are immediately drawn to a story revealing that Virginia’s Caroline and King George Counties, at…

A family “adorned with Bush-Cheney buttons and stickers” summoned police to the Museum of Modern ARF in Clarendon over the weekend, protesting the offensiveness of a controversial nude painting of President Bush on display there. According to a statement sent to DCist, the museum said that the family found the exhibition to be “demonic, sadistic, obscene and highly unpatriotic.” Police sent to investigate the artwork found that everything was in order and that director John…

Kayti Didriksen’s notorious painting of President Bush, “Man of Leisure: King George” (which was originally part of the City Museum’s “Funky Furniture” exhibition until deemed unsuitable for public display) can now be seen at Modern ARF in Clarendon. — This evening, head to the next installment of Artful Evenings at the Phillips Collection. Elizabeth Hutton Turner, the curator of the newly opened exhibit “Calder Miró,” will lead a discussion of the visual dialogue between the…

Though the remains of Frances brushed the metropolitan area, areas to the south and west of Washington experienced a lot of rainfall yesterday. And in some areas, small tornados were spawned. From the Post: A small tornado spun along about 500 yards or so, tearing up some trees by the roots and scattering debris, said Don McGuire, the county’s director of emergency management. A National Weather Service-trained spotter — an emergency manager — and other…