7:30 p.m. Opera House
Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures: Swan Lake
With a fresh look for the 21st century, Matthew Bourne brings his breakout international hit to the Kennedy Center for the first time. Thrilling, audacious, witty, and emotive, this Swan Lake is perhaps still best known for replacing the female corps de ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered conventions and took the dance world by storm.
Tickets: $28-$109
MANUAL CINEMA
NO BLUE MEMORIES
THE LIFE OF GWENDOLYN BROOKS
Friday, January 24, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $35 in advance, $40 at the door
Poet Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize. An activist and community organizer, Brooks’ provocative works captured the spirit and struggle of the Civil Rights Movement. In this theatrical spectacle that gives new meaning to the phrase “poetry in motion,” Emmy-winning ensemble Manual Cinema tells her story through shadow puppetry, silhouetted actors, and live music. No Blue Memories features an original screenplay penned by Eve L. Ewing and Nate Marshall of Crescendo Literary and a jazz score composed by Jamila and Ayanna Woods. The music, performed live by a quintet, incorporates and transforms some of Brooks’ most iconic verses.
2:00 p.m. Terrace Theater
Fortas Chamber Music Concerts: Nelly’s Harpsichord: Music from Mount Vernon
Harpsichordist Richard Egarr plays the newly completed replica of Eleanor “Nelly” Custis one-of-a-kind harpsichord, a gift from her grandfather George Washington in 1793. The program features popular music from Nelly’s time and selections from her own song book to be announced from the stage.
Tickets: $45
7:30 p.m. Opera House
The National Ballet of Canada: Forsythe, Ratmansky & More/Sleeping Beauty
Canada’s esteemed ballet company returns with two programs: Jan. 28 & 29, experience two works by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort, and Alexei Ratmansky’s Piano Concerto #1. Jan. 30–Feb. 2, The Sleeping Beauty is the romantic tale of a princess cursed to sleep for 100 years, danced to Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous music.
Tickets: $29-$149
7:30 p.m. Terrace Theater
WORLD STAGES—Sundance Institute: Grey Rock
A D.C. premiere! A play about the inalienable right to dream: A Palestinian man decides to build a rocket to the moon in a shed.
Tickets: $15-$35
JUAN DE MARCOS & THE AFRO-CUBAN ALL STARS
Friday, January 31, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $24–$64
Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars are devoted to promoting the complete story of Cuban music. De Marcos first gained notoriety in the US as founder of the Buena Vista Social Club, an ensemble of legendary Cuban musicians assembled to revive the music of pre-revolutionary Cuba to its golden age. De Marcos established The Afro-Cuban All Stars to promote Cuba’s brilliant young musicians and highlight its senior talent. Featuring a rotating, multi-generational cast, the group draws on the classic Cuban styles of son and danzón, along with contemporary dance rhythms like timba.
BEREISHIT DANCE COMPANY
Thursday, February 6, 2020
8PM
Tickets: $35–$75
Bereishit Dance Company is a groundbreaking Seoul-based company that approaches Korean traditional culture from a contemporary view. Judo and Balance & Imbalance, two of the company’s acclaimed works, are stunning examples of their style that merges the control and full-body excitement of break dance with sleek artistry and urban cool. Complete with live traditional pansori music, Bereishit Dance Company’s extravagant performance reaches the heights of athletic ability fused with beautiful choreography.
Multimedia play: Hear Me Say My Name
Saturdays: Feb. 15, 22, and 29, 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Rasmuson Theater
“I am not your mascot, and I don’t live in a tipi. See me for who I am, hear me say my name.” How do stereotypes of American Indians, prejudice, and identity shape the discussion of what it means to be a young person in our country today? This original multimedia play, created in collaboration with Smithsonian Associates Discovery Theater, tackles America’s assumptions about American Indians and starts a conversation with audiences reclaiming rich history, challenges, hopes, and dreams. After the play, the audience is invited to explore the museum’s Americans exhibition to learn more.
This program is generously supported by the Rasmuson Foundation. Free; first-come, first-served seating. No registration is required.
Opening and Screening
Thursday, Feb. 20
The annual Mother Tongue Film Festival, presented by the Smithsonian’s Recovering Voices program, celebrates the United Nations’ International Mother Language Day by showcasing recently produced feature and short-length films about the cultural richness of Indigenous and endangered languages. Recovering Voices, a collaboration of the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of the American Indian and the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, partners with communities around the world to revitalize and sustain endangered languages and knowledge. Full schedule will be available https://mothertongue.si.edu/
February 21, 2020
Studio K
This incredibly funny and groundbreaking show begins when the director asks the audience to suggest a popular film title and then the cast, right there on the spot, improvises the “black version” of that film complete with its improvised soundtrack, dance numbers, DVD extras, audition reels, and much more.
Tickets: $25
