I always knew that I loved to dance, to move my feet with a passion, and let the music invigorate…read moreme. But I never really thought about watching other people do it, and certainly not professionally. Then about four years ago the girl I was dating at the time got me hooked on the show So You Think You Can Dance, which happened to be on its fourth season. From then on my eyes were opened to a whole new art form, one that I've grown increasingly fond of ever since. DC unfortunately has a shortage of outlets for taking in great dance performances, but once a year some of the best artists from the area gather at VelocityDC to showcase their talents at an incredibly reasonable price of $18 per attendee. This was my second year attending and the program was almost entirely different than when I came two years ago. While the acts vary on each of the nights that it's going on, The Washington Ballet Studio Company is almost always the "feature" performance, unless you come on the last day when they showcase a few other companies, but this year's routines seemed a bit shorter than before...unfortunate since they really are spectacular, but it allowed some additional time for more acts. The previous show I attended they did five dance routines all set to familiar Beck songs, a curious choice, but one which actually worked quite well. This year was a bit of a contrast, using three great blues songs as the backdrop for a bit more serious piece. Where else in DC can you see contemporary ballet squeezed in between tap dance, Flamenco, Bharatanrityam (the real reason I chose this performance, since Suzy has experience with several Bhangra dance styles), and African jazz, along with half a dozen other styles? If it exists in another place I've yet to find it. Even during the intermission there was a staged-impromptu break dance battle out in the mezzanine. Everyone involved in the production of VelocityDC truly loves what they do and it shows. Add to the event that it's held in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's relatively new performing stage at the beautiful Sidney Harmon Hall and you've got a value that is difficult to surpass in this city for entertainment. We even got an unexpected treat during our recent attendance in the form of a surprise proposal by one of the audience members, and after she said yes they were showered with a standing ovation from the crowd and weeping eyes all around. This is the kind of magic this event inspires.

VelocityDC is AWESOME. I highly recommend it for anyone that's a dance fan and actually for anyone…read morewho is even remotely interested in checking out dance. First it's $18 for any seat and you really cannot beat that!! It's at Shakespheare Harmon Theatre so beautiful, convenient space. I just LOVE that you can see all kinds of dance in one evening. There was step, ballet, african, flamenco, modern.... It was truly fantastic. It's really nice because you can check out a lot of different companies at once and then go see more performances of the ones you really liked. BRAVO to Harmon Center for hosting. Fabulous event!

Amazing!! Seen them perform on several occasions, what a great program!! I would encourage anyone…read morewho's considering this program to join it!!

Excellent instruction, caring and personable teachers, I'd recommend to anyone looking for a once a…read moreweek ballet class that's specifically for homeschoolers (earlier class time). The Irish step dancing is fantastic too!

I really liked this show, but stopped short of loving it. Despite rave reviews from almost all…read morecritics I could find, I did not love the lead. She was great-- I think this is one of the most difficult roles to play-- but just didn't quite capture the nuances of the part or something (sorry, that sounds super douchey, but that is the whole point of this show, after all!) Still, she was on, and she sang the HELL out of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." I thought the choreography/dancing was great, and the set, though simple, was beautiful. The costumes were perfect. Evita is not one of my favorite scripts because I think it simplifies what is a fascinating story, but the music can't be beat and they did it justice!

I've always had good experiences at the Kennedy Center! I have been here many times over the years…read morefor various shows and the venue has never disappointed me. How can it with the spectacular view right by the water. The theater really is a magnificent piece of architecture. The grand ceilings are a sight to see. The last time I went was to see the The Book of Mormon. What a fantastic show! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would recommend anyone who like the tv show South Park to see that show. Others I've seen there that I can recall are Lion King the musical and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The center definitely keeps a wide variety of shows coming around. Also for anyone metroing there, there is a red shuttle that can pick you up at from the closest metro stop straight to the theater. How convenient! I will say that I wish the prices for snacks and drinks were a bit less. Two drinks can easily be $20 depending on what you get. Hopefully they will reconsider their prices someday. But overall I always love coming here for a day out and a great show!

This is a cool spot. My friend and I visited for their Dia de Los Muertos exhibit, an altar to the…read moresky, made by Mexican artist Paloma Vianey, and it was free admission. They are open until 6 PM during the week. This is further up 16th St NW and not downtown as I originally thought, so a bus will get you here easily. The exhibit closes on November 26. Worth a visit!

What a treat to have visited the Mexican Cultural Institute. From 1921-1989 the historic mansion…read morehoused the Embassy of Mexico. Located in the SW section of the Columbia Heights neighborhood, it's an easy walk from either the Columbia Heights or U street stops on the green line. It's an impressive building with gorgeous murals surrounding the central staircase. On the 4th floor was an exhibit featuring the stunning artwork of Francisco Loza (spring 2024). It wasn't crowded when we stopped in on a Tuesday morning. Free to enter, just PUSH on the door to enter or ring the bell for help from the security staff.

We saw a great show, and even though we were WAY UP, the view was fine. The only issue was that…read morethe setup for the stage door was not particularly organized. It was a huge mob scene, and many people did not get to talk to the actors. The parking was another nightmare. The theater recommended a particular lot, which was right across the street. However, that lot is in a federal building, so we had to go through security in order to get to our car - this meant waiting on line for about half an hour. I would recommend parking outside of town and taking public transportation to the theater!

A historic building with an ostentatious name which has somehow eluded my attention until now. It…read morehouses a free (!) art gallery, which is just a big room with a little add-on at street level. The basement is open and is also visibly historic, but doesn't have much in the way of art. It does have cool air and a restroom. The scope of the art gallery clearly isn't large (bearing in mind that a free art gallery the size of a mansion is ho-hum by DC standards), but I enjoyed what they had and it was a perfect use of the time I had to spend on it. Surprisingly enough, they seem to allow people to bring their dogs inside.

All of the Athenaeum staff was excellent to work with. During the initial planning stages, Veronica…read moreand Richard were my main points of contact, both of whom were very helpful answering questions. They were happy to entertain our questions both via email and during the various trips to check out the space. The contract process was fairly straight forward and fortunately renting out the space includes both the art gallery and the outside garden (it rained on our wedding day and the ceremony was initially going to take place in the garden). A few days before the wedding, we were informed that Amanda would be the staffer on hand on the actual wedding day. I sent Amanda my proposed timeline and we reviewed it over the phone. She was willing to assist with flow of show and confirming chair and floral deliveries/set up. She advised us of some renovations that were taking place in the alley behind the garden, which is where the ceremony was originally going to take place. While the staff had not previously informed us of the planned renovation, it all worked out in the end. Amanda emailed me photos of the renovations, offered alternate solutions to ensure the scaffolding wouldn't be as visible, emailed the contractor to ensure they would be done with the renovations for the day prior to our scheduled photo time and ceremony start time, and offered to be at the venue early to ensure that everything was clean. When I realized it was likely going to rain on the wedding day, I emailed Amanda asking for a quick discussion on a rain plan. She contacted me right away to confirm a time and we spoke the morning of the wedding to come up with a rain plan. She handled the new set up with both the chair rental company and the florist. The set up came out beautifully. Also, one of the photographers left a water behind and Amanda emailed me about the item so I was able to retrieve it the next day. I would definitely rent this space again!

Gala is a Hispanic Theatre presenting cultural shows. We loved their Three Kings Show which was…read morecomplementary for everyone in attendance. The theatre is small and they do not have concession available for sale. But it appears that you can bring in snacks. They are located on the second floor. Since it is small, you are guaranteed to get a seat with a view. The seats are not the best for taller guests. They do not have drink holders. It's a basic theatre with no frills but has great shows presented in Spanish and English simultaneously. You can get validated parking from the Giant parking lot. Bring your ticket inside for $4 parking validation.

We were here for the Flamenco Festival. This is a primo space for Latino theatre, with a small…read moreseating area that guarantees that the audience is up close and personal with the performers. One small gripe -- the seats are not so good for tall audience members. Be sure to sit on the aisle if you are over six feet tall!