Looking for something exciting to do this week? Check out VelocityDC’s Dance Picks for 03.01.10 – 03.07.10.

NOTE: * indicates that these local dance companies/performances are eligible to be nominated for the 2010 Metro DC Dance Awards. Click here to nominate or visit dancemetrodc.org. Nominations are accepted after performances have taken place.

Next Reflex Dance Collective – Monday Night at the National

Time: March 1 at 6pm & 7:30pm

Location: The National Theater – 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: FREE. More info available online at nationaltheatre.org

Experience “Eventide,” in which dance represents the ocean. Tides lapping gently on a gulf shore are wind-whipped into violent storm waves, which then settle back into moonlit calm. “Frayed” follows five women who struggle for peace in an agitated, chaotic world and support each other in quest of an absent eternity. A new work will also be premiered.

Dance-A-Day 2010

Time: January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010

A year long online performance updated daily at danceaday.com.

The Suzanne Farrell Ballet

Time: March 3 – 7 at 7:30pm and March 6 & 7 at 1:30

Location: Kennedy Center, Eisenhower Theater – 2700 F St. NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: $29.00 – $84.00. Tickets available online at kennedy-center.org or by phone at 800.444-.324 or 202.467.4600.

Two Mixed Repertory Programs. Great ballets should live forever. So believes the creative force behind The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Through Suzanne Farrell’s legacy as principal dancer and muse behind George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet and her tireless dedication to his works, much of the master’s choreography that earned American ballet respect on the 20th century world stage now attracts new fans in the 21st century. The perpetuation of Balanchine’s seminal work is the stated mission of the Company’s Balanchine Preservation Initiative. With Farrell’s guidance, the Center’s own ballet company is the physical manifestation of this pledge.

Maryland Youth Ballet Spring Concert

Time: March 3, 4 and 5 at 7:00pm

Location: Takoma Park/Silver Spring Performing Arts Center at  Montgomery College –  7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD

Tickets: $10.00 Tickets available via the box office at 240.567.5301, online at montgomerycollege.edu/PAC, or in person from MYB at 926 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring, MD

Maryland Youth Ballet presents its Annual Spring Concert, a program of three works:

“Caroline Goes to the Rodeo” - An exuberant red, white, and blue frolic of a ballet. Caroline and her friends attend a rodeo and enjoy square dancing, lassos, and encounter an angry bull. With wonderful, familiar western tunes, a good time is had by all!

“Bach Concerto” - A new original work by MYB faculty member Christopher Doyle showcases MYB’s pre-professional dancers in an abstract expression of Bach’s beautiful music.

“Les Sylphides” - One of the oldest ‘romantic’ ballets–originally performed in the early 1900’s. This was first staged by MYB in 1985 with then student, Julie Kent, now a prima ballerina with American Ballet Theatre. Les Sylphides is considered one of the hallmarks of a classical repertoire and MYB is excited to present it again.

UM Department of Dance MFA Thesis Concert

Time: March 4 & 5 at 8pm

Location: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center – University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Tickets: $ 9/ Student, $20/ General. Tickets available online at claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

“Geminuspace; Remnants and Ritual” MFA candidates Diedre Dawkins and Betty Skeen present two evenings of contemporary dance and new ideas.

DCypher Dance – DCypher 10.2: Co-Ed

Time: March 5 at 9:30pm, Dance Party starts at 11pm

Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center – 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $15. For audiences ages 13 and up, the dance party is $5.  Tickets available online at intersectionsdc.org or by phone at 202.399.7993, ext 2.

Presented as a part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. DCypher 10.2: Co-Ed, a high-voltage hip-hop performance by a boundary-breaking DC dance ensemble.

DCypher Dance, a hot new hip-hop fusion company that dances to empower community through its own signature style. Experience an intersection of classic hip-hop form and an excitingly new approach. And the beat goes on at an 11pm dance party that will feature “party enhancement” (fantastic dancing and music) by the members of DCypher.

CHAW Presents Pearsonwidrig Dancetheaters “Unmoored (Love Letters from New Orleans)

Time: March 5 – 6 at 8pm

Location: The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop – 545 7th Street SW, Washington, DC

Tickets: $10 in advance  or $15 at the door. Tickets available by phone at 202.547.6839 or by emailing victor@chaw.org.

The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) presents Pearson Widrig Dance Theater’s “Unmoored (Love Letters to New Orleans)” “Unmoored (Love Letters to New Orleans)” is Pearson Widrig Dance Theater’s (PWDT) 80-minute live documentary of dance, spoken word, video and fabulous New Orleans music, performed by PWDT and 12 University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) dance students.

Created in New Orleans shortly after Katrina, “Unmoored” premiered at the Kennedy Center and has toured the country since then, inviting relocated and displaced Gulf Coast residents to participate in workshops, video portrait sessions and the performing cast.

Under the direction of co-artistic directors and UMCP professors Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig, and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and UMCP, the cast will take this “heart-wrenching and wryly humorous” (The Washington Post) work on tour throughout the spring semester, with a dozen performances in New York City, Ithaca, NY and in the Washington, DC area.

Little Egypt & Faten Salama present Egyptian Superstar Randa Kamel

Time: March 5 at 7pm (participant show) and March 6 at 8pm (Randa performs)

Location: Holiday Inn Washington Dulles - 45425 Holiday Drive, Dulles, VA

Tickets: 3/5 show – $20 before February 25, $25/door. 3/6 show – $75 before February 25, $100/door- includes dinner and show. Info and tickets available online at littleegypt.com

March 5th Show – Doors open 7pm, Show starts 7:30 pm

Friday night is a participant show featuring performances by a variety of dancers from across the U.S. including: Lotus Niraja, Shems, Lucy, Latifa, Shahrzad, Kostana, Katrina, Faten Salama’s Student Ensemble, & more!

March 6th DINNER Show – Doors open 8pm, Dinner at 8:30pm, Performance at 10pm

Dynamic show featuring Egyptian superstar Randa Kamel and Amr Kamal (singer) with live band. Open dancing following the show!

Tiffany Mills Company

Time: March 6 at 8pm and March 7 at 7pm

Location: Dance Place – 3225 8th St. NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $22 general admission; $17 members, seniors, students, teachers and artists; $8 children (17 and under). Tickets and info available online at danceplace.org.

Inspired by our memories, true or false, Dance Place presents Tiffany Mills Company’s evening length performance of Tomorrow’s Legs. Mills returns to Dance Place as part of the Contemporary Voices series after she last brought her company in 2001.

We remember a father’s surprising retort, a missing dog, and a lost brother. These memories are triggered by a freshly squeezed orange, a tiny relic in the attic, and seven stitches above the eye. Choreographer Tiffany Mills, experimental theater artist Peter Petralia, editing advisor Kay Cummings, and performers Jeffrey Duval, Luke Gutgsell, Whitney Tucker, and Petra van Noort, mix words and movement to excavate the past. Visceral partnering, delicate gestures, straight-up storytelling and a touch of foolery combine as we dig into the crevices of our mind. Memory, with all its richness and failings, is our connective tissue.

Excerpts from Revolutionary! Isadora Duncan

Time: March 6 at 8pm and March 7 at 7pm

Location: The Jack Guidone Theater at Joy of Motion, Friendship Heights – 5207 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: $25, general admission. Tickets and info available online at joyofmotion.org

Word Dance Theater excited to present a 10 minute excerpt from their extremely well-received production, “Revolutionary! Isadora Duncan” to District Dance Share’s exciting showcase of cutting edge dance in Washington D.C.

District Dance Share 2010

Time: March 6 at 8pm and March 7 at 7pm

Location: The Jack Guidone Theater at Joy of Motion, Friendship Heights – 5207 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: $20 for general admission, $15 for students. Advanced ticket sales available online at joyofmotion.org. Cash only at the door.

This exciting contemporary dance event is returning to the Jack Guidone Theater for its second year. A vehicle for collaboration, expression and performance, DDS brings fellow artists together to share and present new work. 2010’s submission and adjudication process has resulted in the congregation of an array of artists along the east coast (from New York City to Raleigh!), from different backgrounds and levels of exposure.

DDS 2010 will present work by Annex Dance Company, Code f.a.d. Company, Tzveta Kassabova, pro ekoh dance, Kara Priddy, rva dance collective, UpRooted Dance, Word Dance Theater and Dawn Young. For details, visit proekohdance.com.

2nd Annual Love2Dance Teen Showcase

Time: March 7 at 4pm

Location: Publick Playhouse – 5445 Landover Road, Cheverly, MD

Tickets: $10 general admission, $5 seniors & students. Tickets available by phone at 301.277.1710.

The top dancers from area schools and studios bring the latest moves and grooves to entertain you with a high-energy performance.

Project Dance: Café Concert Performance

Time: March 7 at 1:30pm

Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center, Kogod Lobby – 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: FREE. More info available online at intersectionsdc.org or 202-399-7993 ext 2.

Presented as a part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Artists from four liturgical dance companies bring the hope and joy of the universal language of dance to surprising spaces within the Arlene and Robert Kogod Lobby.

Enjoy an inspiring prelude to your Sunday matinee with a unique performance from dancers from Project Dance/DC Team. Project Dance was founded by Cheryl Cutlip in New York City after 9/11 with a mission to bring a message of hope and healing to the city through the universal language of dance. The vision has grown, and Project Dance now serves dancers worldwide through classes, performances and events, including a major 2011 Washington, DC event. This unique Café Concert includes dancers Clarissa Stroud, Masters Movement Dance Company; Richelle Dickerson, Worship Explosion Dance Company; Ronya-Lee Anderson, Dancing by the Power Ministries and Angella Foster, alight dance theater.

The Joy of Motion Dance Center Youth Companies: Dance Discovery

Time: March 7 at 5pm

Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center – 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $15. Tickets and info available online at intersectionsdc.org or 202-399-7993 ext 2.

Presented as a part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Dance Discovery, a kaleidoscope of dance styles from DC’s award-winning dance center’s youth companies that tackle “intersections” in life and art. For audiences ages 6 and up.

Bring the young dancer in your life to a stylistically rich, thematically charged world premier dance performance. The award-winning Joy of Motion Dance Center’s Youth ensembles dance their way through the intersection with pieces created for the festival, inspired by themes of crossing, connecting, colliding and collaborating. Jazz, modern, hip hop, African and Middle Eastern dance will be presented by Joy of Motions’ dynamic young dancers. Honored with the Mayor’s Art Award for Excellence in Service to the Arts and the Mayor’s Art Award for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education, Joy of Motion Dance Center offers this lively performance to celebrate that dance is for everyone!

Looking for something exciting to do this week? Check out VelocityDC’s Dance Picks for 02.15.10 – 02.21.10.

NOTE: * indicates that these local dance companies/performances are eligible to be nominated for the 2010 Metro DC Dance Awards. Click here to nominate or visit dancemetrodc.org. Nominations are accepted after performances have taken place.

Bolshoi Ballet

Time: February 16th – 20th at 7:30pm & February 20th & 21st at 1:30pm

Location: Kennedy Center Opera House – 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: $47.00 – $135.00. Tickets available online at kennedy-center.org or by phone at 800.444-.324 or 202.467.4600.

Founded in 1776, Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet became a symbol of excellence in the classical tradition of Soviet-era Russia, garnering a nearly mythical reputation in the West through a series of tours organized by the great 20th-century impresario Sol Hurok. After a decade-long absence, the company made a triumphant return to prominence in the United States during its Kennedy Center–produced tour in June 2000, and also performed as part of the Center’s ballet seasons in 2002 and 2007.

*The Dinner Party

Time: February 16 at 8pm

Location: The Fridge, Rear Alley –  516 8th St. SE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $5.00. To perform and/or join the mailing list: dinnerpartyinfo@gmail.com and save the date: The next Dinner Party is Tuesday March 16 at 8pm at the Fridge.

The Dinner Party will be at The Fridge Gallery in Capital Hill. These are 2 works-in-progress not to be missed. The evening will feature experimental music, video and performance art. The menu:Nodnol The Impossible, Sesshin Ni-Fi

Dancing Israeli Identity: Looking Backward, Looking Forward

Time: February 18 at 7:30pm

Location: American University’s Katzen Arts Center, Abramson Family Recital Hall – 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: FREE. Dessert Reception.

Please join us for a free brief performance and a behind-the-scenes discussion with cutting edge Israeli modern dance choreographer, Idan Cohen, in conversation with historian Dr. Nina Spiegel, AU Schusterman Visiting Fellow in Jewish Studies. Dr. Spiegel has written extensively on Israeli dance and culture.

Dance can provide a window into Israeli life and culture. We’ll challenge you to imagine why dance is so central in Israel by sharing engaging stories, video clips and ideas from the beginnings of Israeli dance to the thriving contemporary Israeli dance scene.

*Jason Garcia Ignacio / City Dance Ensemble: The Mountain

Time: February 19 at 7:30pm

Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center – 1333 H St. NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $15.00. For audiences ages 14 and up. Tickets available online at intersectionsdc.org or 202.399.7993 ext. 2.

Presented as a part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts CenterJason Garcia Ignacio / City Dance Ensemble. The Mountain, a dance fusion of east and west by an award-winning Filipino choreographer. Commissioned and premiered by the Kennedy Center, The Mountain is a choreographic intersection of art and science – of the traditional and the contemporary.

This provocative work for fifteen dancers was envisioned and realized by Philippine-born choreographer, Jason Garcia Ignacio, winner of the 2009 Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Emerging Artist. A veteran of the American Repertory Ballet and the Martha Graham Ensemble, Mr. Ignacio fuses Filipino mythology with contemporary choreography to capture the 1998 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in Manila. Set to music inspired by the patterns in volcanic activity, The Mountain vividly explores our evolving relationship to the environment. The program will feature other works by Mr. Ignacio as well as an audience talk-back following the performance.

*Mason/Rhynes’ 7th Annual Expressions Series: Hip Hop Festival!!!

Time: February 19-20 at 8pm

Location: Takoma Park/Silver Spring Performing Arts Center at Montgomery College - Silver Spring, MD

Tickets: $22.00 general admission, $18.00 student discount/DancePass discount, $15.00/ groups of 10 or more. Tickets available online at mason-rhynes.org, email staff@mason-rhynes.org, or call 301.887.1078.

Mason/Rhynes’ 7th Annual Expressions Series: Hip Hop Festival!!! brings you the best in dance, music, and spoken word in this heart-pumping showcase of DC hip hop. Let’s put it this way, there are three exclamation points for a reason…check out the festival and you’ll see why! Featuring Capitol Movement Project, Culture Shock DC, Dimensions of Funk, DCypher, Fly Gypsy, Just Tap, Tappening & Urban Artistry! *Plus DJ 2-Tone Jones on the one’s & two’s!

*Dreaming up Dances: Equinox Dance Company’s Annual Children’s Charity Show and Workshop

Time: February 20 at 1pm & 4pm

Location: Baker Park Band Shell – Frederick MD

Tickets: $5.00 (suggested donation). More info at equinoxdance.org,  contact info@equinoxdance.org, or 240.401.7484.

Each year EDC hold an educational modern dance show for families benefiting a worthy charity. Children watch the show and interact with the dancers. At the end of the show there is a short dance workshop. This year’s show will lead the audience through the process of making a dance. All proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Association.

*Jason and Friends

Time: February 20 at 8pm & February 21 at 4pm

Location: Dance Place – 3225 8th St. NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $22.00 general admission, $17.00 members, students, teachers, professional artists, seniors, and $8.00 for children 17 & under. Tickets available online at danceplace.org.

Jason and Friends will be performing The Mountain . The Mountain is a marriage between art and science, rooted in Filipino dance, and set to a score created from seismic waves recorded from volcanoes around the world. Choreographed by renowned dancer Jason Garcia Ignacio, the recipient of the 2009 Award for Outstanding Individual Performance from Metro DC Dance.

*Dissonance Dance Theatre Arrives East of The River for a Show at THEARC SE DC!

Time: February 20 at 5:15pm

Location: Washington Ballet Studios @ THEARC – 1901 Mississippi Ave SE 2nd Floor, Washington, DC

Tickets:$20.00 general admission; $15.00 students with ID and seniors. Free with $15 or $12 Dancepass purchase of Masterclass! For more info at ddtdc.com.

Take part in the viewing of an informal concert of past and current dance works choreographed by Shawn Short. Dissonance Dance Theatre will present several contemporary works that stem from classical to hip hop in their influence. A treat for the whole family. A brief Question & Answer session will follow the performance.

*Coyaba Dance Theater, Tappers With Attitude & Urban Artistry: Origins

Time: February 20 at 2pm & February 21 at 7pm

Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center – 1333 H St. NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $15 student / $20 adult. For audiences of all ages. Tickets available online at intersectionsdc.org or 202-399-7993, ext. 2.

Presented as a part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. ORIGINS, a joyful collaboration among three top DC dance companies celebrating the heritage and soul of African American dance.

Joining forces for a one-of-a-kind dance celebration, three DC Dance companies will intersect their distinctive powerhouse styles to tell the story of African American dance. Take Coyaba Dance Theater’s high energy drumming and traditional West African dance. Add Tappers With Attitude’s sassy blend of popular percussive dance steps from the past. Mix with Urban Artistry’s hot funk, pop, lock and hip-hop. Season with Latin flavors, and you have a recipe for an unforgettable retrospective of the dance that defines America. Ideal for the whole family, this show will get you on your feet!

BodyMoves Contemporary Dance Company: Dance Through the Decades

Time: February 20 & 27 at 4:30pm

Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center – 1333 H St. NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $10. For audiences of all ages. Tickets available online at intersectionsdc.org or 202-399-7993 ext 2

Presented as a part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Dance Through the Decades, a lively journey with Maryland-based young performers through the history of black dance.

Celebrate the history of Black Dance in America. Take a journey from slavery to the present day in this popular performance by Maryland-based BodyMoves that incorporates ballet, modern, tap, jazz and ethnic and contemporary styles. Connect decades of culture through a performing arts presentation that is both entertaining and educational. Created by award-winning choreographer Katherine Smith, Dance Through the Decades pays tribute to those who have paved the way for all people to be free to dance. A perfect show for fans of dance history and for families to enjoy together.

10th Annual Flamenco Festival DC: Marina Heredia and the Arab-Andalusian Chekara Orchestra of Tetouan

Time: February 21 at 7pm

Location: GW Lisner Auditorium – 21 H Street NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $35-$65.00. Tickets available online at lisner.org.

This program brilliantly brings together flamenco with the Andalusian repertoire of Morocco – music that originated in the courts of Sevilla, Granada and Córdoba during the Golden Age of Andalusia when Muslims, Jews and Christians co-existed in southern Spain.

Marina Heredia is an entrancing voice from Granada and important figure in the new generation of flamenco singers. She shares the stage with the Arab-Andalusian Chekara Orchestra of Tetouan, which has collaborated with many of flamenco’s leading singers and includes musicians on violin, oud (lute), kanun (zither), guitar, and percussion, and dancer Jara Heredia.

This performance is part of Preview Spain: Arts and Culture Program. This performance is presented in co-operation with the Spain-USA Foundation, the Embassy of Spain, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Spanish Presidency of European Union.

Project Dance: Café Concert Performance

Time: February 21 from 1– 2pm

Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center, Kogod Lobby – 1333 H St. NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: Free. For more at intersectionsdc.org or 202-399-7993 ext 2.

Presented as a part of INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Artists from four liturgical dance companies bring the hope and joy of the universal language of dance to surprising spaces within the Arlene and Robert Kogod Lobby.

Enjoy an inspiring prelude to your Sunday matinee with a unique performance from dancers from Project Dance/DC Team. Project Dance was founded by Cheryl Cutlip in New York City after 9/11 with a mission to bring a message of hope and healing to the city through the universal language of dance. The vision has grown, and Project Dance now serves dancers worldwide through classes, performances and events, including a major 2011 Washington, DC event. This unique Café Concert includes dancers Clarissa Stroud, Masters Movement Dance Company; Richelle Dickerson, Worship Explosion Dance Company; Ronya-Lee Anderson, Dancing by the Power Ministries and Angella Foster, alight dance theater.

DragonFly Dance Experiment presents: Rhapsody, a collection of new works

Time: February 21 at 2:30pm

Location: Pascal Center for Performing Arts at Anne Arundel Community College – 101 College Parkway, Arnold, MD

Tickets: $13 general admission, available at the door. For more info, regarding DragonFly Dance Experiment andRhapsody, a collection of new works please visit dragonflydance.com.

This concert features new Contemporary dances choreographed by Artistic Director Megan Morse Jans, Artistic Contributor Stephanie Yezek with a performance by special guests the Annapolis High School Dance Company.

DragonFly Dance Experiment is a professional dance company in residence in Annapolis, MD that explores Modern/Contemporary Dance as well as Aerial Dance and Multimedia to create collaborative and original choreography. DragonFly has been seen on stages in Washington DC, Richmond, Virginia as well as New York City. Co-Artistic Director Megan Morse Jans was a recipient of a 2009 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Choreography. This past season, DDE proudly produced Dock Side Dance a free event featuring professional dance from the Annapolis and surrounding areas on the City Docks and was featured as one of the professional companies in the Artists’ Concert of the Maryland Council for Dance Festival.

Mason/Rhynes Productions presents the Expressions Series: Hip Hop Festival!!! on Friday, February 19, and Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. at the new Takoma Park/Silver Spring Performing Arts Center. This seventh annual festival brings you the best in dance, music, and spoken word in this heart-pumping showcase of DC area hip hop.

The performance features the award winning Culture Shock DC, Urban Artistry, and D.C. based hip-hop music duo Fly Gypsy. With a video in rotation on MTVu and VH1 Soul, Fly Gypsy is quickly emerging as the hottest new name in hip-hop. Performances by Dimensions of Funk and their ultra-entertaining junior company, DCypher, Just Tap, and Tappening, plus DJ 2-Tone Jones spinning on the one’s & two’s make this the hottest event this season!

There are three exclamation points for a reason…check out the festival and you’ll see why!

To purchase tickets please visit mason-rhynes.org, email staff@mason-rhynes.org, or call 301.887.1078.

Takoma Park/Silver Spring Performing Arts Center is located at Montgomery College, TP/SS Campus, 7995 Georgia Ave. Silver Spring, MD, 20910. Tickets will be available for sale Thursday Feb 18 from 6-10pm and on Friday and Saturday starting at 5pm.

Looking for something exciting to do this week? Check out VelocityDC’s Dance Picks for 02.12.10 – 02.14.10.

Mariinsky Ballet

Time: February 9 – 13 at 7:30pm & February 13 & 14 at 1:30p

Location: Kennedy Center Opera House – 2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: $47.00 – $135.00. Tickets available online at kennedy-center.org or by phone at 800.444-.324 or 202.467.4600.

The Sleeping Beauty. The venerable Mariinsky Ballet returns to the Opera House for their eighth visit in a ten-year partnership with the Kennedy Center. One of the most influential companies in classical dance for the past 200 years, Mariinsky Ballet continues to set the standard in stage production. After struggling for survival under the Soviet regime, Mariinsky Ballet–formerly known by its Soviet name Kirov–has firmly established its place on the world stage and gone on to display its unmistakable style in appearances around the globe.

Philadanco

Time: February 12 at 8pm

Location: Alden Theatre – 1234 Ingleside Ave, McLean, VA

Tickets: $35-40.00. Tickets available online at aldentheatre.org or by phone at 703.573.SEAT.

This celebrated dance company is renowned for its innovative choreography, blending African American-based dance with ballet, jazz and modern.

Mason/Rhynes Productions’ Expressions Series: LATE NIGHT!!!

Time: Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 11:00pm

Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center – 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $25 general admission (advanced reservation); $40 per couple/groups of three or more (advanced reservation); $30 at the door (day of show). For tickets, please call 301.887.1078, or email staff@mason-rhynes.org.

Adult themes and content. Must be 18 + to attend. Don’t miss this Valentine’s Day themed LATE NIGHT this SATURDAY at our new home at the ATLAS studios on H Street! Featuring Aysha Upchurch/LRMP, Sweet Tease Burlesque, Vaunita Goodman, Sylvana Sandoz, Danse4Nia, and special guests! Drinks and refreshments are included with the ticket price…and when the show ends the party continues!

10th Annual Flamenco Festival DC: Compañía Rocío Molina – “Oro Viejo”

Time: February 14 at 7pm

Location: GW Lisner Auditorium – 21 H Street NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $35-$65. Tickets available online at lisner.org.

The Málaga-born Rocío Molina has become a major star in the flamenco world at the age of 25. Through her work with the Compañía María Pagés, Mujeres with Belén Maya and Merche Esmeralda (seen at the 2008 Flamenco Festival), and performances with her own company, she has been regarded as a revelation in flamenco dance.

This program features Oro Viejo (Old Gold), where she explores the passage of time accompanied by three dancers, a singer, and musicians (guitar, percussion, palmas).

“Have a Heart for Haiti” World Dance Benefit Concert

Time: February 14 at 7pm

Location: Joe’s Movement Emporium – 3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mt Rainier, MD

Tickets: Suggested donation is $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Donations are tax deductable. Advance tickets available online at joesmovement.org.

An evening concert romantic World Dance, offers an unusual Valentine’s Day destination that will benefit Haitian earthquake survivors. All proceeds will go to the Emergency Relief Fund of Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian organization providing medical aid in Haiti.
Professional World Dance artists from the Metro DC area showcase a wide range of women’s dances from around the globe that celebrate love, beauty, and romance.

Selections include Egyptian Raqs Sharqi (Bellydance), Tahitian dance, Bollywood Bhangra, Afghani, Azerbaijani and other styles. A tribute to Erzulie, the Haiti goddess of love and sensuality, will highlight the evening. Dancers include the award-winning Silk Road Dance Company and noted DC area performers of Middle Eastern and Polynesian dance. In addition to the dance performances, guests can enjoy a “decadent” dessert bar and bid on donated auction items.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created in 1971 by doctors and journalists in France. The organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. D

Looking for something exciting to do this week? Check out VelocityDC’s Dance Picks for 01.27.10 – 01.31.10.

American Ballet Theatre

Time: January 26th – 30th at 7:30pm & January 30th at 1:30pm

Location: Kennedy Center Opera House – 2700 F St. NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: $29.00 – $99.00. Tickets available online at kennedy-center.org or call 800.444.1324.

Full-length and Mixed Repertory Programs. A mainstay of the Kennedy Center’s ballet programming since the beginning, American Ballet Theatre returns to the Opera House with two programs, including a full-length production of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet and a mixed repertory program to be carefully selected from its vast and acclaimed repertoire. As the Center’s long-time patrons know, every American Ballet Theatre performance is an event not to be missed. In talent, size, scope of work, and every other measure of a ballet company’s greatness, ABT ranks among the most respected in the world. The company stands unparalleled in its sheer ability to transport an audience through form, motion, and drama.

Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan

Time: January 29th & 30th at 8pm

Location: Kennedy Center, Eisenhower Theater – 2700 F St. NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: $22.00 – $65.00. Tickets available online at kennedy-center.org or call 800.444.1324.

Returning to the Kennedy Center for the first time since 1995, Cloud Gate performs Lin Hwai-min’s meditative, tai chi–inspired Moon Water. On a black stage with white brush strokes reminiscent of ripples, mirrors suspended in midair reflect the dancers in white billowy costumes. Water seeps onto the stage and creates “one of the most beautiful moments…one hears only the water ripple over the edge of the apron” (Der Tagesspiegel, Berlin). Danced to music from Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello recorded by Mischa Maisky, Moon Water is a metaphor of a Buddhist proverb: “Flowers in a mirror and moon on the water are both illusory.” Its movements describe the ideal state of tai chi practitioners: “Energy flows as water, while the spirit shines as the moon.”

27th Annual Choreographers’ Showcase at Maryland

Time: January 30th at 3pm & 8pm

Location: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center – University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Tickets: $25.00 general; $9.00 students. Tickets available online at claricesmithcenter.umd.edu or call 301.454.ARTS.

Numerous up-and-coming dance artists make their homes in Maryland, Virginia and DC. The Clarice Smith Center and the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission collaborate once again to spotlight diverse and fresh talents from the region’s dance community in this adjudicated mixed program.

Winter Heat

Time: January 30th at 8pm & January 31st at 4pm

Location: Dance Place - 3225 8th St. NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $8.00-$30.00.  More info at danceplace.org.

Warm up with this hot performance of hip hop, step, West African, and contemporary dance by Coyaba Dance Theater, StepAfrika! and Gesel Mason.

Step Afrika! will be premiering a new work which is their first merger with hip hop music. In addition they will perform a work created in June 2009 called 466[[][[]]nine]4. Choreographed by Jakari Sherman, the work investigates Step Afrika’s process of exchange between two art forms: stepping and the South African gumboot dance. The dance also pays homage to Nelson Mandela, first president of a democratic Republic of South Africa.

Coyaba Dance Theater will perform Soko/Balante, a traditional West African dance. Balante is a warrior dance from Guinea Bissau and Soko (rites of passage) is from the city of Boke in Guinea West Africa, Baga ethnic group. Coyaba learned Balante in 2007 during their annual Dance & Culture Residency in Senegal, West Africa.

*DCypher Dance Presents DCypher 10.2: Co-Ed

Time: January 30th at 8pm & January 31st at 7pm

Location: The Jack Guidone Theater at Joy of Motion, Friendship Heights – 5207 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: $15.00 general admission in advance, 
$20.00 general admission at the door
 (cash only),
 $12.00 senior citizens & children under 12. More info at joyofmotion.org.

Featuring new and innovative works by Nikki R. Gambhir, Juliana Calderon, Jason Anderson, individual DCypher members and JOMDC youth Hip Hop companies.

Looking for something exciting to do this week? Check out VelocityDC’s Dance Picks for 01.22.10 – 01.25.10.

Got an event? Send it to us at velocitydc [at] gmail.com!

WAM! (wolfgang amadeus mozart)

Time: January 23rd & 30th at 8pm & January 24th & 31st at 3pm

Location: Atlas Performing Arts Center – 1333 H St. NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $19.00 and up. Tickets available at inseries.org. More info at washingtonballet.org.

WAM! (wolfgang amadeus mozart) chronicles the childhood of the prolific composer in this witty, effervescent ballet. Audiences experience Mozart’s compelling and astonishing early childhood experiences throught the artistry of The Washington Ballet’s Studio Company dancers and In Series vocalists. TWB Artistic Associate David Palmer, TWB Artistic Director Septime Webre, and TWB Company Member Jared Nelson collaborate to choreograph this frolic through 18th century Salzburg!

Mint Condition – Jane Franklin Dance

Time: January 23rd at 8pm & January 24th at 2pm

Location: The Athenaeum – 201 Prince St., Alexandria, VA

Tickets: $16.00 – $28.00. Tickets available online at janefranklin.com or by phone at 703.933.1111.

Jane Franklin Dance in a shared concert with Washington Saxophone Quartet. Mint Condition revisits what is left behind when we must move on, with a collection of objects long past usefulness. The evening with Washington Saxophone Quartet marks the second appearance at Alexandria’s historical landmark building, the Athenaeum, by the two groups combined.

LEVYdance

Time: January 23rd at 8pm & January 24th at 4pm

Location: Dance Place – 3225 8th St. NE, Washington, DC

Tickets: $22.00 general admission; $17.00 members, seniors, students, teachers, artists; $8.00 children (17 and under); $50.00 VIP Tickets. To purchase VIP tickets, please call the Box Office at . Tickets available online at danceplace.org.

Have Facebook and Twitter forever changed human to human connections? California-based choreographer Benjamin Levy explores how social networking sites and other technological innovations impact our interpersonal connections in a new work, Everyone Intimate Alone Visibly, premiering at Dance Place.

Don’t forget to attend a pre-performance reception on Saturday, January 23 at 6:30pm. Ticket price includes reception and entrance to the show.

TAP Kids

Time: January 24 at 3pm

Location: Alden Theatre – 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, Virginia

Tickets: $20.00. Tickets available online at aldentheatre.org.

Eight of the nation’s most talented young tap dancers take to the stage in this rousing, joyous celebration of American youth culture.

Ballet By Bienert

Time: January 25th at 7pm

Location: Embassy of Austria – 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC

Tickets: FREE – RSVP required. Register at acfdc.org or call 202.895.6776.

The Austrian choreographer Bernd Roger Bienert has made works for the stage and screen, pieces that employ classical technique but also some that explore movement beyond the ballet tradition. At the Embassy of Austria he will show “The Moldau”, to Smetana’s famous tone poem, as danced on screen by the Zurich Ballet; “Tides”, a dance specially for film; from his Zurich “Nutcracker” a film excerpt with American Ballet Theatre star Ethan Stiefel; his “Bolero” as performed on screen by Netherlands’ Introdans to Maurice Ravel’s unique tone poem. Premiered live will be Bienert’s solo “SCHRIFTzeichnen” (”Signings”), starring Washington Ballet’s Jonathan Jordan.

In the new “Signings”, international sign language serves as a point of departure for expanding the range of dance movement. From abstract to concrete, the dancer’s body becomes a vessel of emotion.

House Blend

Time: January 25th at 8pm

Location: Round House Theatre Silver Spring – 8641 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, MD

Tickets: $15.00 general admission; $12 for Round House subscribers, senior citizens, patrons under 25, and groups of 10 or more. More info at 301.270.6700.

A program of new and developing dances from the artists of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Feauturing choreography by Elizabeth Johnson, Liz Lerman, Cassie Meador and Keith Thompson.

*Includes some mature content