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.
- Pork Belly Pastrami with citrus mezcal bbq + pickles
- Grilled Shrimp Taco with mezcal morita chile salsa, avocado + lime
- Mezcal Honey/Lime Grilled Partridge with grilled onion, brussels sprouts + pumpkin mole
- Coffee/Mezcal Cured Short Rib with creamed yucca, ancho chile + pickles
- Welcome Toddy: El Silencio Joven, Hine Cognac, coconut, pimento, lemon
- Manzana Highball: El Silencio Espadin, apple cider, ginger, “Mango-stura” bitters
- Alebrije’s Milk Punch: El Silencio Espadin, Leblon Cachaca, carrot, lemon, cane sugar, leche con yerba
- Manifest Content: El Silencio Espadin, Joseph Magnus Bourbon, grilled figs, cane sugar, cigar bitters
- Digestif Toast: El Silencio Joven + Counter Culture Coffee
What would Christmas be without the traditional Ugly Sweater Christmas Party! Join The Capital Wheel as they celebrate National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, Friday, December 21 at The Flight Deck from 6-9 p.m. Guests who show off their ugliest Christmas sweater get their first drink compliments of Flight Deck, plus discounted Capital Wheel tickets and drink specials all evening.
Couples who ride The Capital Wheel in one of the lucky 12 gondolas with mistletoe hanging inside can snap a picture of themselves and post on social media to @CapitalWheel with #MistletoeMoment for the chance to win a VIP Date Night in the new year. Contest ends January 1, 2019.
For those who are Jewish and single, there’s only one place they will want to be this December 24, 2018 – at the MATZOBALL powered by JSwipe. The event, which will be held in cities around the country, is in its 32nd year, and will be the bash that those looking to have fun and meet other singles will want to attend. It’s a party each year that thousands of people attend, with many of them finding themselves getting lucky in love. The event is sponsored by JSwipe, the #1 Jewish dating app around the world. From hooking up and having fun to finding their soul mate, MATZOBALL has been the catalyst that has helped many Jewish singles find each other.
“This is one of the most important events each year in the Jewish community if you are single,” explains Andrew Rudnick, from Mazel Events, LLC and founder of the MATZOBALL. “People know that they will not only have a great time, but there is a good chance it will be the place where a new relationship gets started. This event is literally the birthplace of many happy families, and we’re proud of that.”
Since the first MATZOBALL was held in 1987, there have been over 400,000 people attending the mega party. It’s a party that got its start when Rudnick convinced a bar owner to keep the place open for him and some friends one Christmas Eve. After meeting his future wife at that party and seeing the fun that everyone had, it became a tradition. The tradition stuck around, grew beyond what anyone would have thought possible, and has become a tradition in the Jewish singles community. However, it’s not all just Jewish who attend: MATZOBALL parties are the annual Christmas Eve party of the year! The majority of attendees are Jewish, though more and more, the flood gates have opened with singles of all backgrounds showing up.
This year, the MATZOBALL will be held in select cities on December 24, 2018, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Attendees must be 21 to attend.
“If you are at least 21, Jewish, and single, you will not want to miss attending a MATZOBALL party,” added Rudnick. “It’s the kind of event you will be talking about for years to come. You may even be telling your kids about how it’s where you and your spouse first met. It’s that significant. Get your tickets early, because they will sell out, and you don’t want to be left out.”
JSwipe, who is the title sponsor of the event, has over 1 million users. Their app, which is available for download on iOS and Android devices, makes it easy to swipe left or right on Jewish singles nearby. Those swiping will receive a match when both parties swipe right. Their site reports that they are responsible for thousands of love stories, engagements, and babies. JSwipe’s mission is to bring Jewish singles together and create meaningful relationships.
In addition to general admission tickets, many venues offer upgrades, including a fast pass to move you to the front of the admission line. Some parties are also offering group table packages, which include multiple tickets for admission, alcohol, VIP lines, and more. For complete city information, ticket options and pricing, to purchase tickets, or to join the VIP list, visit the website at: https://matzoball.org.
Ring in the New Year at Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown’s Pop & Bop celebration. On Monday, December 31st, from 8:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., the hotel’s stunning lobby will be buzzing with friends old and new. The outdoor courtyard will also be alluring with holiday lights, fire pits and heaters to keep partygoers toasty and warm.
Specially priced Thiénot champagne will be popped and available by the glass or bottle along with bubbly champagne cocktails. Fairmont’s signature cheese, charcuterie and seafood stations, including Chesapeake Bay oysters, is priced at $35 dollars with unlimited access. The Lobby Bar’s à la carte menu will also be available.
Dancing and bopping begins at 9:00 p.m., as Dom Petrellese’s five-piece band returns with a vocalist performing disco, pop and R&B. A free champagne toast will pop at midnight and; party favors will be distributed to all – creating a popping and bopping New Year’s celebration.
There is no cover charge or minimum spend for Fairmont’s Pop & Bop New Year’s Eve celebration. Reservations are required through Eventbrite at: https://fairmontwashington.eventbrite.com
Fashion Group International’s annual Holiday Party will be hosted at the home of Regional Director Kim Elleen Atkins
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.
To launch an inaugural collaboration between City Winery and Supreme Core Cider, the two brands will host Ivy City’s “Resolution Breakers Ball” on Saturday, January 26 – a ticketed tour of each facility followed by two indulgent winter staples – cider and mac ‘n cheese. The $25 ticket is valid from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and includes shuttle transportation between the venues, as well as:
- 3 cider tastings
- 1 cider cocktail
- 3 wine tastings
- 2 bowls of mac ‘n cheese
- Live music
Attendees will also be entered to win Supreme Core Cider swag with a 4-pack of cans, and a pair of tickets to a show at City Winery. Tickets to the “Resolution Breakers Ball” can be purchased online at www.resolutionbreakersball.eventbrite.com.
On Thursday, Jan. 31, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden will partner with the French Embassy and the Judy and Peter Blum-Kovler Foundation to present the first Washington, D.C., edition of the Night of Ideas, a global marathon of ideas that will activate La Maison Française with talks and performances by today’s leading thinkers and creators, Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, 6:30 p.m.–12 midnight.
In addition to renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as keynote speaker, speakers include including art critic, curator and Marcel Duchamp expert Bernard Marcadé; French philosopher Manon Garcia; artificial intelligence specialist Eric Gaussier; Senegalese economist and writer Felwine Sarr; author and national correspondent for The Atlantic Franklin Foer; privacy and public policy expert Dipayan Ghosh; the George Washington University Debate & Literary Society; and Smithsonian Year of Music co-curator Huib Schippers.
Dynamic performances from French visual artist Frédéric Nauczyciel and American voguing performer Marquis Revlon’s Marching Band Baltimore Project will punctuate the beginning and end of the event. The night will also include an interactive poetry performance by Les Souffleurs commandos poétiques, an instrumental interpretation of paintings into music by violinist David Schulman and a spoken word presentation by poet Charity Blackwell. Guests will also enjoy pop-up art activations and in-gallery DJ performances throughout the night.
The event is free and open to all.
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