WHAT: “We Choose to Go to the Moon” performance
WHEN: Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 15, 18
6:30–7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Eighth and G streets N.W.
WHO: Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
The National Portrait Gallery will present “We Choose to Go to the Moon,” a performance by the museum’s resident Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. Inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s “One Year: 1968, An American Odyssey” exhibition, which notably displays a portrait of the Apollo 8 astronauts, the performance reflects on America’s idealism around the space race, the mystery of the cosmos and the fragility of life.
“We Choose to Go to the Moon” was created in collaboration with NASA and includes sound bites from leading scientists and astronauts in addition to selections of pop culture music including “Stairway to Heaven” and “Fly Me to the Moon.” The title of the dance refers to a line from the 1962 speech by President John F. Kennedy about the national effort to land a man on the moon. This work was recently performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) performs its annual A Holiday Pops! concerts with Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke on Friday, December 14 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, December 15, at 2 and 8 p.m., at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
Guest vocalist Ashley Brown, who originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway, makes her NSO debut in A Holiday Pops!. She joins the NSO and The Washington Chorus in this festive program for all ages, featuring seasonal favorites including “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Deck the Halls,” as well as an audience sing along, and perhaps a visit from a certain resident of the North Pole!
Concert details follow:
Friday, December 14, 2018 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 8 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Steven Reineke, conductor
Ashley Brown, vocals
The Washington Chorus
Christopher Bell, Artistic Director
A HOLIDAY POPS! UNDER THE MISTLETOE
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets ($24–$99) are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, online at kennedy-center.org, and via phone through Instant Charge, (202) 467-4700; toll-free at (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquires, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.
ABOUT THE NSO POPS
Show-stopping pops concerts have been a staple of the National Symphony Orchestra’s more than 80 years of performances. These concerts have ranged from performances on a barge on the Potomac River, to concerts on the Ellipse, and in National Parks around the greater Washington area. The 2000–2001 season saw the creation of the post of Principal Pops Conductor specifically for Broadway great Marvin Hamlisch, who held the position until the 2010–2011 season. The 2011–2012 season was the first with Steven Reineke as Principal Pops Conductor. NSO Pops performances take place at all the NSO’s principal performance venues: Wolf Trap, the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, and in the NSO’s primary home, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with a subscription season featuring the Orchestra with guest artists from a variety of musical genres.
WHAT: “We Choose to Go to the Moon” performance
WHEN: Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 15, 18
6:30–7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Eighth and G streets N.W.
WHO: Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
The National Portrait Gallery will present “We Choose to Go to the Moon,” a performance by the museum’s resident Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. Inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s “One Year: 1968, An American Odyssey” exhibition, which notably displays a portrait of the Apollo 8 astronauts, the performance reflects on America’s idealism around the space race, the mystery of the cosmos and the fragility of life.
“We Choose to Go to the Moon” was created in collaboration with NASA and includes sound bites from leading scientists and astronauts in addition to selections of pop culture music including “Stairway to Heaven” and “Fly Me to the Moon.” The title of the dance refers to a line from the 1962 speech by President John F. Kennedy about the national effort to land a man on the moon. This work was recently performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) performs its annual A Holiday Pops! concerts with Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke on Friday, December 14 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, December 15, at 2 and 8 p.m., at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.
Guest vocalist Ashley Brown, who originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway, makes her NSO debut in A Holiday Pops!. She joins the NSO and The Washington Chorus in this festive program for all ages, featuring seasonal favorites including “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Deck the Halls,” as well as an audience sing along, and perhaps a visit from a certain resident of the North Pole!
Concert details follow:
Friday, December 14, 2018 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 8 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Steven Reineke, conductor
Ashley Brown, vocals
The Washington Chorus
Christopher Bell, Artistic Director
A HOLIDAY POPS! UNDER THE MISTLETOE
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets ($24–$99) are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, online at kennedy-center.org, and via phone through Instant Charge, (202) 467-4700; toll-free at (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquires, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.
ABOUT THE NSO POPS
Show-stopping pops concerts have been a staple of the National Symphony Orchestra’s more than 80 years of performances. These concerts have ranged from performances on a barge on the Potomac River, to concerts on the Ellipse, and in National Parks around the greater Washington area. The 2000–2001 season saw the creation of the post of Principal Pops Conductor specifically for Broadway great Marvin Hamlisch, who held the position until the 2010–2011 season. The 2011–2012 season was the first with Steven Reineke as Principal Pops Conductor. NSO Pops performances take place at all the NSO’s principal performance venues: Wolf Trap, the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, and in the NSO’s primary home, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, with a subscription season featuring the Orchestra with guest artists from a variety of musical genres.
Light Up The Season is a family-friendly community fundraising event to benefit Children’s National to be held on Sunday, December 16, 2018 from 12 – 4 p.m. at Four Season’s Hotel in Washington, DC. It is co-hosted by Children’s Health Board and Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC.
Who: Light Up The Season’s Second Annual Event
What: This event highlights collaborations between Children’s National patients and notable area designers and artists – 23 in all from Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia, see list below and in attached press release. Together, they will create holiday trees, mantelpieces, wreaths, menorahs and artwork – all available for purchase. Proceeds benefit Children’s National. Activities for all ages include holiday cookie decorating, ornament making, musical performances and visits from Santa and Dr. Bear. Entertainment expert Penny Lyons of Lyonslifestyle will offer an exclusive presentation focused on her “making the ordinary extraordinary” approach to entertaining at home.
April McClain-Delaney, regulatory attorney and Washington Director of Common Sense Media, will serve as this year’s Light Up The Season Honorary Chair. McClain-Delaney is a longtime advocate for children. She has served on the Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, was named an outstanding woman alumnae by Georgetown Law Center, is a John Carroll Society Awardee and is married to Maryland Congressman John Delaney.
Event Co-Chairs Shannon Burkhart, Susan Hayes-Long and Muffin Lynham are working closely with design advisors Barry Dixon, Lauren Liess and Frank Babb Randolph. High res images from last year’s inaugural event as well images of this year’s designers and patients are available upon request.
Where: The Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC
2800 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20007
When: Sunday, December 16, 2018 from 12- 4 p.m.
Tickets: Click here to purchase tickets
Designers, florists and artists participating:
Jeff Akseizer, Akseizer Design Group
Jose Solis Betancourt and Paul Sherrill, Solis Betancourt
Molly Bruno, Molly Bruno Interiors, Molly Bruno
Susan Burke, Susan Burke Style
Iantha Carley, Iantha Carley Interiors
Suzie Clayton, Dalton Brody
Wendy Danziger, Danziger Design
Miriam Dillon and Hannah Bock, Barnes Vanze
Laura Dowling, Laura Dowling
Eve Faye, Farrow & Ball
Yvette Freeman, District Designers
Rachel and Charles Gang, Helen Olivia Flowers
Ashley Greer, Atelier Ashley Flowers
Sarah Hayes, Sarah Hayes Design
Liz Levin and Tess Finnegan, Liz Levin Interiors
Lauren and David Liess, Lauren Liess
Lanie Mann, Lanie Mann Art
Anna Mathews, Anna Mathews Interiors
Marika Meyer, Marika Meyer Interiors & Textiles
Claire Niermann and Eleanor Niermann, Niermann Weeks
Maggie O’Neill, Maggie O’Neill Fine Art
Sascha Roth, Urban Country
Roger Whyte, RJ Whyte Events
Entertainment/Pop-Up Shops:
Metropolitan School of the Arts (Dance), The Georgetown Saxatones Acapella Group, Rhythmaya Dance (Bollywood Fusion) and Reggie Rice Comedy Illusionist. Popup shops include Dalton Brody, Julia Farr Boutique, Suzanne Designs, Whyte House Monograms, Christi Perez Designs, Sonya Flanagan, Mary Making Design, and Georgetown Paperie. The décor coordinator is Quintece Hill-Mattauszek.
Patriot Harley-Davidson, 9739 Fairfax Boulevard, will host a special Redskins viewing party on Sunday, December 16, from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., and meet & greet with former Redskin and Hall of Famer, Darrell Green. The event is FREE and open to the public.
Watch the 1 p.m. Redskins/Jaguars game on a big screen while you check out the Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Darrell Green will be available for pictures throughout the event and will take part in a half-time Q&A session.
Additionally, photos that can be autographed, will be available in exchange for a new, unused, unwrapped toy donation for the Sheehy Toys for Tots toy drive, or $25 in Harley-Davidson merchandise purchased that day. These photos are the only items Green will autograph.
Sports memorabilia including Green’s Hall of Fame Bust and Jacket will also be on display, along with Green’s custom Redskins-themed Harley-Davidson. The TEAM 980 Street Team will also be on-hand to keep the party going.
For more information visit www.patriothd.com or call 703-352-5400.
WHAT: “We Choose to Go to the Moon” performance
WHEN: Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 15, 18
6:30–7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Eighth and G streets N.W.
WHO: Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
The National Portrait Gallery will present “We Choose to Go to the Moon,” a performance by the museum’s resident Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. Inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s “One Year: 1968, An American Odyssey” exhibition, which notably displays a portrait of the Apollo 8 astronauts, the performance reflects on America’s idealism around the space race, the mystery of the cosmos and the fragility of life.
“We Choose to Go to the Moon” was created in collaboration with NASA and includes sound bites from leading scientists and astronauts in addition to selections of pop culture music including “Stairway to Heaven” and “Fly Me to the Moon.” The title of the dance refers to a line from the 1962 speech by President John F. Kennedy about the national effort to land a man on the moon. This work was recently performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The hotel will host a special Cookies with Santa event on its tented Rooftop from 11am to 3pm on Saturday, December 22. Families are invited to enjoy festive decorations, cookie and ornament decorating, and photos with Santa himself, all free of charge.
Step Afrika! launches its 25th anniversary at the Music Center at Strathmore with a retrospective of the Company’s best-loved works on Sunday, January 20, 2019 at 5 p.m. The performance continues Strathmore’s rich collaboration with Step Afrika!, started in 2014, to celebrate step by showcasing some of the art form’s best 
performers annually on its hallmark Music Center stage. The performance includes selected works from Step Afrika!’s history, including Wade,Passing 25, and Nxt/Stp: Hip Hop. The wide range of work demonstrates the versatility of step, connecting it to hip hop, African American spirituals, and South African traditional and contemporary dance forms. Dem Raider Boyz Step Squad of Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Prince George’s County will open the show; the troupe achieved national notoriety on NBC’s reality-competition show World of Dance in 2018. For more information call (301) 581-5100 or visitwww.strathmore.org.
Step Afrika! was founded in 1994 as the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. It now ranks as one of the top African American dance companies in the United States. The Company blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, African traditional dance, and influences from a variety of other dance and art forms. Performances traditionally integrate song, storytelling, humor, and audience participation.
In 2019, Step Afrika! will launch its first tour in Ukraine and will return to South Africa in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the historic election of President Nelson Mandela. Step Afrika! has performed at the White House for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, headlining their Presidential Black History Month Reception, and is also featured prominently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in the world’s first stepping interactive—a video installation where patrons can learn the basics of step straight from Step Afrika! instructors. They also brought a step showcase to New York’s famed theater district for the first time, with a three-week, sold-out engagement at the New Victory Theater.
