EVENT CATEGORIES

FEATURE EVENT

Kings of Salsa Heats Up Virginia

Salsa spices up Virginia in October with an array of Latin-themed performances at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax, Va., as well as its Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas.

Kings of Salsa, the music and dance sensation from Havana, blends Afro-Caribbean moves, Cuban street salsa and hip hop with classic Latin dances such as the mambo, rumba and cha-cha-cha. Complemented by the sounds of the nine-piece brass band Cuba Ashire and vibrant costumes, the group offers a rare glimpse inside contemporary Havana culture. Kings of Salsa performs at the GMU Center for the Arts on Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. and at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Oct. 2 at 4 p.m.

The Hylton also welcomes the Compañia Flamenco José Porcel on Oct. 30 at 4 p.m. Spain’s premier flamenco dancer and choreographer, José Porcel and his troupe will present a new show, “Gypsy Fire,” highlighting some of the oldest, purest and most fiery forms of flamenco.

Other October performances at the Center for the Arts include the Mariinsky Orchestra, one of Russia’s most respected musical organizations, on Oct. 8 and the acclaimed British-American touring company Aquila Theatre in a performance of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” on Oct. 9.

For more information, visit www.gmu.edu/cfa or www.hyltonperformingartscenter.com.

ART

Oct. 1 to Feb. 12
30 Americans
Provocative and confrontational, this exhibition showcases works by many of the most important African American artists of the last three decades, focusing on issues of racial, sexual and historical identity and exploring the powerful influence of artistic legacy across generations.
Corcoran Gallery of Art

Oct. 1 to Jan. 8
Degas’s Dancers at the Barre: Point and Counterpoint
Bringing together about 30 works from some of the world’s finest collections, this exhibition traces ballet in Edgar Degas’s art from the 1870s to 1900, while also celebrating “Dancers at the Barre” as a crowning achievement in the artist’s four-decade career — prompted by discoveries from a recent conservation treatment of the masterpiece, which took 16 years to create.
The Phillips Collection

Through Oct. 2
The Guerrilla Girls Talk Back
The Guerrilla Girls, a group of anonymous artist-activists, critique the sexism and racism pervading contemporary culture through their populist art production, which includes posters, books and live performances in which they wear gorilla masks.
National Museum of Women in the Arts

Through Oct. 2
Pressing Ideas: Fifty Years of Women’s Lithographs from Tamarind
Featuring 75 works by 42 artists including Elaine de Kooning, Louise Nevelson, Margo Humphrey, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith and Kiki Smith, “Pressing Ideas” explores the breadth of experimentation in lithography and women’s contributions to a workshop that stretches creative boundaries.
National Museum of Women in the Arts

Through Oct. 2
Left Behind: Selected Gifts from the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection
Featuring photographs of unpopulated spaces in which a human presence is not evident but implied, this exhibition celebrates recent gifts from the Podestas to the Phillips.
The Phillips Collection

Through Oct. 9
NASA / ART: 50 Years of Exploration
More than 70 pieces of art — from the illustrative to the abstract — offer a look at the works commissioned by the NASA Art Program, which was established soon after the inception of the U.S. space program in 1958 as a way to communicate the accomplishments, setbacks and sheer excitement of space exploration over the past five decades to the public.
National Air and Space Museum

Through Oct. 14
Swiss Style
Fashion designs for men and women created by graduates of the Geneva University of Art and Design reflect the diverse range of talent in Switzerland, with items ranging from gowns to casual wear, footwear and jewelry.
Alex Gallery

Through Oct. 15
Microcosm
This exhibition — part of a series of events recognizing Aruba’s 25 years of “status aparte” within the Netherlands — features site-specific installations, sculpture, mixed-media creations, video, paintings, collage, photography and drawings by an array of noted Caribbean artists representing the eclectic reality of the Aruban “microcosm” within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Open by public appointment from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., reservations must be made by emailing was-gma@minbuza.nl with the date and time requested.
Dutch Residence

Through Oct. 15
YAS: Young Architects of Spain, a Window to the Unknown
Spanish architecture has become a global point of reference over the last quarter of the 20th century, but this exhibition shows that architectural excellence can also be found in the unknown work carried out in the studios of a new generation of inspirational architects under 40.
American Institute of Architects (AIA)

Oct. 15 to Feb. 12
Weaving Abstraction: Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa
Ingeniously woven from palm fiber, Central African textiles distinguished the wealthy and powerful. Woven art from the Kuba kingdom in particular makes playful use of a language of over 200 patterns. “Weaving Abstraction is the most comprehensive exploration of this art form to date in the U.S., with 150 objects ranging from small, exquisite baskets to monumental skirts.
The Textile Museum

Through Oct. 21
Latin American Artists of Italian Descent
This selection of artwork by Latin artists of Italian descent offers a symbolic yet significant exploration of the Italian cultural influence in Latin America, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification.
Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center

Through Oct. 22
Mexico Through the Lens of National Geographic
With more than 150 articles, no country has seen more coverage in National Geographic magazine than Mexico, generating a stunning archive of visual imagery documenting the country’s culture, history and physical beauty — a slice of which can be seen in this selection of 132 photographs drawn from the National Geographic’s archives.
Mexican Cultural Institute

Oct. 22 to Jan. 29
Eye to Eye: Joseph Marioni at the Phillips
Fifteen recent glowing monochrome paintings by modernist Joseph Marioni are displayed with the artist’s selection of 30 works from the Phillips Collection in the first D.C. exhibition of his paintings.
The Phillips Collection

Through Oct. 23
Chris Martin: Painting Big
Chris Martin’s large-scale abstract paintings are tactile and stitched-together, incorporating found objects and collage into their abstract geometries and rhythmic patterns and relating as much to the physical world as to his own memories and experiences.
Corcoran Gallery of Art

Through Oct. 28
Publishing Modernism: The Bauhaus in Print
How is it that an art school that was open for a mere 14 years — during which time it suffered chronic financial shortfalls, survived a turbulent political situation, claimed just 33 faculty members, and graduated only about 1,250 students — came to have such a lasting impression on modern design and art education? Despite these difficulties, the Bauhaus did precisely that.
National Gallery of Art

Through Oct. 28
An American in Deutschland: Photographs by Leonard Freed
Several photographs by late Magnum photographer Leonard Freed during the early years of the Berlin Wall are showcased as part of “Divided Germany: Fifty Years Construction of the Berlin Wall,” as well as an exhibition covering five decades of Freed’s work in Germany on display at the German Historical Institute through Nov. 15.
The Goethe-Institut

Through Oct. 31
Argentine Fall Salon 2011
The Embassy of Argentina presents its Fall Salon, a unique art exhibition featuring artists working in different styles and techniques who were selected from different regions around the world to be part of this show.
Embassy of Argentina

Through Nov. 4
Left Behind (Zurückgelassen)
Photographer Friederike Brandenburg visualizes the paradoxical relationship between beauty and decay as he ventures into isolated places of nature otherwise presumed to be untouched by man, where he finds objects — some aesthetic, some absurd — discarded by human civilization.
The Goethe-Institut

Through Nov. 5
Building Bridges, Not Fences
From traditional to digital media, the technical, conceptual and cultural journey of photography is explored through the work of photographers Shay Aloni and Ammar Younis, who depict daily life in Israel and the relationships between Arabs and Jews, as well as several Cuban artists who portray what life is really like on the communist island.
Music Center at Strathmore

Through Nov. 6
Perspectives: Hale Tiger
Multimedia artist Hale Tenger, born in Izmir, Turkey, creates videos and installations that examine the tangible and intangible traces of events, filming the façade of the St. George Hotel in Beirut — the site of the assassination of Rafik Hariri, former prime minister of Lebanon — while it was being renovated from 2005 to 2007.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through Nov. 11
Waterline
Taking her inspiration from the traditions of the Waanyi culture, Judy Watson, one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, mixes her poetically abstract stained canvases with Aboriginal history, elements of her family’s past, government documents and everyday objects to provide a glimpse of how Aboriginal people lived and were perceived in the first half of the 20th century.
Embassy of Australia

Through Nov. 27
The Gothic Spirit of John Taylor Arms
John Taylor Arms (1887–1953), an American printmaker, believed in the uplifting quality of Gothic art and the power of close observation, skillfully transcribed. This exhibition presents selected examples from the artist’s entire career, from his early New York works to his finest images of European cathedrals.
National Gallery of Art

Through Nov. 27
Italian Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection: 1525-1835
The splendors of Italian draftsmanship from the late Renaissance to the height of the neoclassical movement are showcased in an exhibition of 65 superb drawings assembled by the European private collector Wolfgang Ratjen (1943–97).
National Gallery of Art

Through Dec. 14
Elusive Pioneer of American Documentary Photography
This exhibition examines the work Louise Rosskam, an elusive pioneer of American documentary photography in the 1930 and ’40s, including her compelling photographs of Southwest D.C. neighborhoods before their destruction for urban renewal as well as her images of Puerto Rico as it developed from an impoverished U.S. possession to an industrialized commonwealth.
American University Katzen Arts Center

Through Dec. 14
Inner Piece: Works from the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection
This selection of works comes from the private collection of Tony and Heather Podesta, widely known for their respective lobbying firms but are equally well known for being among the country’s most prominent contemporary art collectors.
American University Katzen Arts Center

Through Dec. 14
Wayne Barrar: An Expanding Subterra
New Zealand photographer Wayne Barrar traveled through America, New Zealand, Australia and France seeking the subterranean places in which people live, work, and play — depicting hidden the underground worksites of mines and universities to the surreal domestic world of the subterranean homes in an opal mining town in South Australia.
American University Katzen Arts Center

Through Dec. 30
Urban_Landscapes
Art from Europe and the United States imagines urban areas with great potential for diversification and transformation, playing with known architecture and structures and how the ideas behind them are often obscured by the viewer’s angle.
Embassy of Austria

Through Jan. 2
Warhol: Headlines
Andy Warhol had a lifelong obsession with the sensational side of contemporary news media, and his source materials for his artwork — headlines from the tabloid news — will be presented for comparison, revealing Warhol’s role as both editor and author.
National Gallery of Art

Through Jan. 15
Andy Warhol: Shadows
Created in the last decade of Andy Warhol’s life, “Shadows” comprises 102 silkscreened and hand-painted canvases featuring distorted photographs of shadows generated in the artist’s studio — forms that at once suggest and mock the bravura brushwork of the abstract expressionists.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Through Jan. 15
CHINA Town: Contemporary Ceramic Painting from Jingdezhen
This unprecedented exhibition of porcelain art — the sixth in a series of exhibits organized over the last decade by the Meridian Center’s Art for Cultural Diplomacy program with Chinese partners — highlights objects from Jingdezhen, a city of 1.6 million people that has produced the finest Chinese porcelain for more than 1,000 years, especially the world-renowned blue and white decorative motifs.
Meridian International Center

Through Jan. 15
Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible
Marking its 400th anniversary this year, the 1611 King James Bible still echoes in books, movies, songs, speeches and sermons today. But who translated it? The Folger Shakespeare Library and University of Oxford draw on their deep resources to uncover the little-known story of one of the most widely read books in the history of the English language.
Folger Shakespeare Library

Through Jan. 29
Power/Play: China’s Empress Dowager
Following China’s disastrous Boxer Rebellion, the Grand Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) used photographic portraiture to rehabilitate her public image, allowing a young aristocratic photographer to take elaborately staged shots of her and her court. As the only photographic series taken of the supreme leader of China for more than 45 years, these images represents a unique convergence of Qing court pictorial traditions, modern photography and Western standards of artistic portraiture.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Through March 4
Central Nigeria Unmasked: Arts of the Benue River Valley
This international exhibit features more than 148 objects used in a range of ritual contexts, with genres as varied and complex as the vast region of Central Nigeria, that demonstrate how the history of the area can be “unmasked” through the dynamic interrelationships of its peoples and their arts.
National Museum of African Art

DANCE

Oct. 12 to 16
The Suzanne Farrell Ballet
The Kennedy Center’s own Suzanne Farrell Ballet celebrates its 10th anniversary with two George Balanchine programs, each featuring his “Diamonds” in an artistic partnership with the Sarasota Ballet. Tickets are $29 to $84.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Oct. 26 and 27
Beijing Dance Theater
China’s contemporary troupe fuses ballet and modern dance with traditional dance in “Haze,” performed on a modified stage where the dancers fight to stay afoot, a metaphor linking pollution with spiritual confusion. Tickets are $22 to $60.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Fri., Oct. 28, 8 p.m.
Ballet Hispanico
This vibrant company blends Latin dance, ballet and modern dance, grounded in the rich heritage it represents. Please call for ticket information.
Music Center at Strathmore

DISCUSSIONS

Tue., Oct. 4, 7 p.m.
Frontera Sin Frontera
This panel discussion focuses on the poetry traditions of the United States and Mexico and the ways in which they interrelate and reflect upon the other.
Library of Congress
James Madison Building

Thu., Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m.
Mexican Table: The Cacao Route
After its summer hiatus, the Mexican Table Cooking Series is back with a session on the “Cacao Route,” as guest chef José Ramón Castillo, considered one of the top chocolatiers in Mexico, and Patricia Jinich design a menu of locally sourced ingredients that features cacao in different and surprising ways, while discussing its importance in Mexico since the pre-Hispanic era. Tickets are $70.
Mexican Cultural Institute

Tue., Oct. 18, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Legal Research for Embassy Personnel
The Law Library of Congress — founded in 1832 — is offering a series of legal research seminars designed specifically for relevant staff at embassies in the United States to facilitate their legal research needs. The seminars include information on how to access U.S. federal laws, administrative regulations, court cases, treaties, and a host of other print and electronic sources and databases. To register, call (202) 707-3812 or visit www.loc.gov/law/opportunities/embassy-form.php.
Library of Congress Madison Building

Tue., Oct. 18, 7 p.m.
Le Studio: Wine Tasting 101
The French Embassy’s monthly “Wine Tasting 101” soirées — with veteran wine journalist Claire Morin-Gibourg — explore the regions and vineyards in France, as well as tasting techniques. This month’s tasting highlights Puligny-Montrachet (Burgundy). Tickets are $75.
La Maison Française

FESTIVALS

Sat., Oct. 1, 12 p.m.,
Sun., Oct. 2, 12 p.m.
Russian Bazaar
The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist presents two days of Russian culture, food, folk music, handicrafts and children’s activities. For information, visit www.russianbazaar.org.
Russian Orthodox Cathedral

Sun., Oct. 2, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
9th Annual Turkish Festival
This annual Turkish Festival brings together a wide range of artists and more than 25,000 Washingtonians for a day of free activities that range from lively folk dancing and musical performances to arts and crafts activities for children and adults, as well as native cuisine, traditional coffee fortune reading, and a bustling bazaar. For information, visit www.turkishfestival.org.
Pennsylvania Avenue between 12th and 14th Streets, NW

Oct. 14 to Nov. 10
Kids Euro Festival
The Kids Euro Festival, the largest performing arts festival of its kind in the United States, once again brings together the European Union embassy community to transform the Washington area into an EU adventure for children and their families, with more than 200 free events around town, from the Kennedy Center and Natural History Museum to the embassies of Austria and Sweden. For information, visit www.kidseurofestival.org.
Various locations

Through Oct. 28
Mutual Inspirations
To honor the 170th birthday of Czech composer Antonín Dvorák, the Czech Embassy in Washington spearheads a citywide musical festival featuring more than 500 local and international artists performing in 30 concerts and events, many American or world premieres, at venues across town — paying tribute to how Dvorák influenced U.S. music and vice versa. For information, visit www.mutualinspirations.org.
Various locations

GALAS

Fri., Oct. 14
43rd Annual Meridian Ball
One of Washington’s most noted social events that is widely attended by key members of the government, international, business and cultural communities, the Meridian Ball is preceded by intimate dinners hosted by ambassadors around town, after which guests gather at the Meridian’s historic houses for dancing, conversation and dessert. For ticket information, call Olivia Dorieux at (202) 450-5899 or email Olivia@355Lex.com.
Meridian International Center

Mon., Oct. 17
Harman Center for the Arts Annual Gala
The Shakespeare Theatre Company fêtes its Artistic Director Michael Kahn and celebrates its 25 season in its annual gala, which will feature many notable actors who’ve been inspired by Kahn, including Patrick Stewart, Bradley Whitford, Harry Hamlin, Stacy Keach and Richard Thomas. Guests will also be entertained with appearances by Chelsea Clinton and Donald Graham, as well as performances from the musical “Show Boat,” the “Poison Aria” from Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” and the Joffrey Ballet dancing Lubovitch’s “Othello.” Tickets start at $750; for information, call Joanne Coutts at (202) 547-3230 ext. 2330.
Sidney Harman Hall

Sun., Oct. 23, 1 p.m.
Taste of Haiti
Under the patronage of Haitian Ambassador Louis Harold Joseph, this lunch features Haitian music and crafts to benefit the Hopital Sacre Coueur, a major referral-teaching hospital in Milot, Haiti. Donation of $80 is suggested; for information, email mlfleury@aol.com.
Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School

MUSIC

Fri., Oct. 7, 7 p.m.
La Catrina String Quartet
One of the most sought-after ensembles on tour today, La Catrina String Quartet performs its unique blend of Latin American and standard repertoire. Admission is free but RSVP is recommended and can be made by emailing rsvp@instituteofmexicodc.org.
Mexican Cultural Institute

Wed., Oct. 12, 7:30 p.m.
From Austria With Love
Baritone Mathias Hausmann is joined by distinguished pianist Craig Rutenberg in a program featuring music by Austrian composers who lived and worked in the U.S., including Mahler, Korngold, Zeisl, Krenek, Stolz and Kálmán. Tickets are $45.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

Wed., Oct. 19, 8 p.m.
Creole Choir of Cuba
This voice-and-percussion choir is made up of Cuban descendents of Haitians who blend ancient traditions with gospel and folk music, eye-popping African-patterned costumes and hip-grinding dance moves. Tickets are $18 to $38.
Music Center at Strathmore

Wed., Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Riccardo Minasi, Violin
Riccardo Minasi — whose specialty is the musical repertoire from the Renaissance to the Classical period — is a frequent performer at the most prestigious concert halls throughout the world. He’s joined by acclaimed cellist Beiliang Zhu and Kenneth Weiss on the harpsichord. Tickets are $25.
La Maison Française

Fri., Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Josef Spacek, Violin
Josef Spacek, 24, represents the best of today’s new generation of violinists, having already performed throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. Tickets are $80, including Czech buffet. For information, visit www.embassyseries.org.
Embassy of the Czech Republic

Oct. 28 to 30
Beethoven Complete Sonatas for Piano and Violin
In 2009, the artistic project of presenting Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas to Washington audiences was launched when piano virtuoso François-Frédéric Guy performed all 32 sonatas during nine acclaimed concerts at the French Embassy. In 2010, the second step of this audacious cycle took place as he returned to Washington with one of the world’s leading cellists, Marc Coppey. And in 2011, François-Frédéric Guy performs with violinist Tédi Papavrami in this concert. Tickets are $25.
La Maison Française

Sat., Oct. 29, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Django Reinhardt Festival All-Stars
Showcasing the intricacies of the authentic Django Reinhardt style, this All-Stars Festival returns featuring guitar virtuoso Dorado Schmitt, with special guest clarinetist, Anat Cohen. Tickets are $45.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

THEATER

Oct. 6 to 8
Norman
Montreal-based company Lemieux Pilon 4D Art presents “Norman,” a tribute to pioneer filmmaker Norman McLaren in which film and theater collide as projected holograms inhabit the stage with live actors. Tickets are $30 to $50.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Through Oct. 9
¡Ay, Carmela!
When a vaudeville comedy duo accidentally fall into the hands of Franco’s fascists troops during the Spanish Civil War, they witness an execution and are forced to perform for other captives in this heartbreaking portrayal of love, loss and the inhumanity of war by José Sanchis Sinisterra, one of Spain’s most acclaimed contemporary playwrights. Tickets are $34 or $38.
GALA Hispanic Theatre

Through Oct. 9
Fahreinheit
Ray Bradbury’s masterpiece about a futuristic world where firemen burn books and hunt down anyone who risks reading them comes chillingly to life in an adaptation by the legendary author himself. Tickets are $25 to $60.
Round House Theatre Bethesda

Through Oct. 9
FELA!
Winner of three Tony Awards, “FELA!” is the true story of the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, whose soulful Afrobeat rhythms ignited a generation and whose civil rights struggle defied a corrupt and oppressive military regime. Tickets are $25 to $130.
The Shakespeare Theatre Harman Hall

Through Oct. 16
The Habit of Art
Deep in the bowels of London’s National Theatre, Benjamin Britten is having trouble with his latest opera and seeks out his collaborator, poet W. H. Auden, after a 25-year separation — as both aging artists wrestle with their desires, jealousies, the ephemeral connection between creativity and inspiration, and all the reasons their friendship fell apart. Tickets are $35 to $69.
The Studio Theatre

Through Oct. 16
Lungs
A couple negotiates sex, parenthood, and responsibilities large and small in Duncan Macmillan’s intimate drama about chance, change and consequence. Tickets are $20.
The Studio Theatre

Through Oct. 16
The Boy Detective Fails
In the twilight of a childhood full of wonder, a Billy the “boy detective” faces a mystery he can’t comprehend: the shocking death of his young sister and crime-solving partner Caroline. Ten years later, a 30-year-old Billy returns to his quiet New Jersey town after an extended stay at St. Vitus’ Hospital for the mentally ill determined to right old wrongs. Call for ticket information.
Signature Theatre

Oct. 18 to 30
ReEntry
Based on hundreds of hours of interviews with returning combat veterans presented without any agenda subtext, “ReEntry” is a tour-de-force of loneliness, fear and anger overlaid with moments of warmth, growth and inspiration. Tickets are $25 to $60.
Round House Theatre Bethesda

Oct. 19 to Nov. 6
Othello
Synetic Theater’s “Speak No More” – The Silent Shakespeare Festival continues with “Othello,” exploring the Bard’s tale of love, jealousy, race and perception through onstage projections, a shifting geometric set, and the swirling choreography and physical expression of Synetic’s performers. Tickets are $45 to $55.
Synetic Theater at Crystal City

Oct. 20 to 22
Mabou Mines DollHouse
Director Lee Breuer adapted Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” to deconstruct the mythic feminist anthem by physicalizing power and scale with little men dominating and commanding women one and a half times their size. Tickets are $30 to $50.
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater

Through Oct. 23
Trouble in Mind
Battle lines are drawn within a newly integrated theater company on Broadway in 1957 as it prepares to open a misguided race play on the Great White Way. Please call for ticket details.
Arena Stage

Through Oct. 30
Les Misérables
Cameron Mackintosh presents a new, fully staged 25th-anniversary production of Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical “Les Misérables,” featuring re-imagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo that brings this enduring story about the survival of the human spirit to life. Tickets start at $39.
Kennedy Center Opera House

Through Oct. 30
Parade
Ostracized for his faith and Northern heritage, Jewish factory manager Leo Frank is accused of murdering a teenage factory girl in this Tony-winning musical drama based on the true story of Frank’s trial and lynching in early 20th-century Atlanta. Please call for ticket information.
Ford’s Theatre