When visiting Washington, D.C., after a day of museums and monuments, it can be refreshing to hit the town and have a little fun. You'll enjoy one of the most active dance scenes in the country, as vibrant and diverse as the city itself. From the high-brow to the offbeat, the D.C. dance world offers plenty for everyone.
Adventurous dance enthusiasts can sign up online for a number of dance competitions, workshops, and one-time classes. Or, if fancy footwork isn't your forte and you simply enjoy a good show, D.C.'s variety of theaters host all types of classical and contemporary dance performances.
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For the spectator, the best place to begin is the annual Dance D.C. Festival. Usually occurring during late September or early October, the festival features performances from a wide array of local, national, and international dance groups. For three days, practically every stage in the city hosts a full schedule of performances, morning to evening. Whether you love traditional, folk, hip-hop, international, or experimental dance, you'll find it at this festival. A simple Web search of "Dance D.C. Festival" will tell you the dates of this year's event.
If you won't be in town during Dance D.C., the Washington Ballet is a good entry point to the D.C. dance scene. Since its formation in 1976, this talented group of top-notch choreographers, directors, and performers has become one of the country's most prestigious ballet companies. Internationally known for their artistic and technical excellence, the Washington Ballet's performances range from classic stories like The Little Prince to internationally themed productions, such as oui, non (inspired by French cabaret) and ¡Noche Latina! (a celebration of Latin dance).
During the holiday season, you won't want to miss the Washington Ballet's adaptation of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Artistic Director Septime Weber devised the ballet's new take on the dance, setting it in D.C. and featuring historical characters such as George Washington, King George III, and Frederick Douglass. Renowned for its playful, Americana-oriented production design and exquisite choreography, the show runs for about three weeks every December.
As an extra perk of attending a Washington Ballet performance, you'll experience one of the city's premier entertainment venues. Year-round, the Washington Ballet performs in the glamorous John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts (the Kennedy Center, for short). Since opening in 1971, architect Edward Durell Stone's masterpiece has been the ideal place for performances with high, ambitious production values. In addition to their Kennedy Center productions, the Washington Ballet occasionally performs on other stages as well.
Traveling dance companies also grace the Kennedy Center's stages. Dance shows come from all over the world, including South America, Africa, and Asia. Families visiting with children will find shows perfect for the whole family at the Kennedy Center, too.
Besides these large productions, many other dance performances can be found throughout the city. For example, the KanKouran West African Dance Company is a small, local dance group whose performances have been praised for their authentic West African rhythms and choreography. Performing regularly at various venues throughout the D.C. area, KanKouran provides a unique dance experience you won't find in every city. Learn some moves yourself in one of their classes or workshops in African dancing and drumming.
Get Into the Groove
If you plan to pack your own dancing shoes, you'll find plenty of places to strut your stuff. Among the many dance studios offering fun, one-time classes is the D.C. Dance Collective. Easily accessible by the Metro or car, the Collective holds daily classes in all dance genres, at all difficulty levels, for all ages. Have you ever wanted to take a Middle Eastern Belly Dancing class for beginners? How about Salsa, Break Dancing, Jazz, Tap, Square Dancing, Flamenco, or, the perennial favorite, Ballroom Dancing? With classes scheduled from morning through evening, you can spend a whole day at the D.C. Dance Collective, trying out different genres. If you're lucky, you can also catch one of the Collective's regular performances, which showcase the talent and hard work of both students and teachers.
The Joy of Motion Dance Center is a similar studio with locations throughout the D.C. metro area, offering programs for both youth and adults. In addition to its regular classes, Joy of Motion offers adult workshops and summer dance camps for kids. Workshops and dance camps typically last at least three days. Like the D.C. Dance Collective, the Joy of Motion Dance Center also puts on performances featuring its students and faculty.
Of course, many other dance studios in the D.C. area offer both classes and performances. You can also try Dance Place, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, or the Bethesda Dance Center and Ballroom.
If structured dance classes don't appeal to your sense of fun, the city's rich and eclectic nightlife provides plenty of places to move to the music. The hip and trendy crowd may enjoy clubs such as Avenue or the Fur Nightclub. If you like more up-scale, dressy clubs, try the 18th Street Lounge, MCCXXIII, or the Platinum Nightclub. More specialized options include the Caribbean-themed Zanzibar, Cuban-themed Havana Village, or Apex, which is geared toward D.C.'s large gay community.
With the city's busy dance scene, you may not be able to experience everything in a single visit. However, whether you'd rather watch from the audience or take a whirl on the floor yourself, you can do it all in D.C.
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