The area native will help kick off The Bentzen Ball tonight at The Lincoln Theatre. She’ll also perform on Friday at the Kennedy Center.

Tomorrow, Travis returns to the District, but this time as the second headliner to play The Lincoln Theatre since I.M.P. Productions was given the reins to the historic venue.

It was a rough year for government support of the arts in 2011. Federal and local governments scaled back their funding, in some cases forcing cultural institutions to make significant programming cuts.

Representatives from the Lincoln Theatre’s board of directors made their case in front of the historic theater this afternoon: without a $500,000 boost in operational funds from the city at the beginning of the 2012 fiscal year, they would likely be forced to close at the end of the year.

UPDATE: It appears there will be an emergency board meeting at the Lincoln tonight at 6 p.m. Graham adds that the situation “looks bleak,” though he now tells Tom Sherwood that he didn’t specify when the theater would close due to its financial difficulties.

Daniel Phoenix Singh (center) with members of the Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Co.By now, the Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company is a familiar presence in the local arts scene, having won numerous awards, including Best Emerging Group and Best Costume design from Dance Metro DC in 2008. In addition to its dance performances, the organization has branched out to present live concerts, film screenings, and other endeavors designed to expose traditional and contemporary South…

Ben Ali The Ali family is holding a memorial service today for Ben’s Chili Bowl co-founder Ben Ali, who died last week at 82. The memorial service actually began a short while ago, at noon, at the Lincoln Theater on U Street. While the service is open to the public, the short notice implies mostly family, friends and colleagues are in attendance today. In a message on the Ben’s web site, the family asks…

Daniel Phoenix Singh Every year the Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company mounts its Fall Festival of Indian Arts, a month long multi-disciplinary event which combines the ancient and contemporary by presenting traditional Indian art forms in a modern context. The highlight of the event is a weekend of dance held at the venerable Lincoln Theatre. This year, the performances will take place this coming Saturday and Sunday. Indian-born festival director Daniel Phoenix Singh received…

>> The keepers of traditional New Orleans jazz, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band (pictured), whose members range in age from 31 to 88, visit The Lincoln Theater tonight. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show are $30. >> For those who prefer to look to the future instead of the past, fusion violinist Jean-Luc Ponty comes to The Birchmere to perform his unique blend of jazz, rock, and world music. The show begins at 7:30 p.m….

>> Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with the Omar Sosa Quartet, who will play tonight at the Lincoln Theater in an evening of Afro-Cuban jazz cosponsored by the Smithsonian. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come first-serve basis, starting one hour before the concert. [1215 U St., NW, Free, 8 p.m] >> For those not content to just sit back and enjoy D.C.’s bevy of musical acts, Clarendon Ballroom offers swing dancing accompanied by a…