D.C.-area nightlife, events and dining

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Don't wait for winter weather to fill your social calendar.

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Going Out Gurus

GOG BLOG

Free and easy: NSO in Your Neighborhood, ‘Warhol: Shadows’

Free this week: the National Symphony Orchestra continues its performances in Columbia Heights and the Hirshhorn’s “Andy Warhol: Shadows” exhibit comes to a close.

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Events for Today January

  • Sun 8
  • Mon 9
  • Tues 10
  • Wed 11
  • Thurs 12
  • Fri 13
  • Sat 14

Today's Editors' Picks

  • Second Lives: The Age-Old Art of Recycling Textiles - Exhibit
    Examples of how various cultures re-use fabric, including a vest made from a blanket and a large patchwork of small scraps of silk ikat.
    Textile Museum | Washington, DC
  • ICE! - Exhibit
    Most tours of Madagascar require rugged khaki or camouflage, a Jeep and a knowledgeable guide. This one requires parkas. The animated DreamWorks franchise "Madagascar" is the theme for this year's ICE! exhibition at National Harbor. Specially-trained ice sculptors from China were flown in yet again to carve two million pounds of ice into a 15,000 square foot winter safari. Did we mention it's cold? The exhibit is kept at a constant temperature of nine degrees Fahrenheit during its 52-day run. Thankfully, winter coats are provided.
    National Harbor | Fort Washington, MD
  • Chinese Flowers - Exhibit
    Part of the museum's ongoing "Seasons" exhibition, view paintings of Chinese flora specific to each quarter of the calendar.
    Freer Gallery of Art - Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC
  • Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical - Performing Arts
    Mo Willems's story covers family, best friends, baby steps and gigantic dancing laundry. At the Family Theater.
    The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, DC
  • Three Kings Day Celebration - Miscellaneous Event
    The fun includes a live animal procession at 1:30 p.m., followed at 2 p.m. by music and dance presentations including Alma Boliviana and the National Symphony Orchestra. Tickets will be distributed at the box office at 12:30 p.m. and there is a limit four per family. The performance will be presented in English and Spanish.
    Gala Hispanic Theatre at Tivoli Square | Washington, DC
  • Degas's Dancers at the Barre: Point and Counterpoint - Exhibit
    Paintings of dancers by Edgar Degas show his fascination with ballet.
    Phillips Collection | Washington, DC
  • Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies - Performing Arts
    Woolly artists collaborate with Chicago's the Second City to present an comedic anti-holiday show.
    Woolly Mammoth Theatre | Washington, DC
  • Dr. Dolittle - Performing Arts
    A soldier during World War I writes letters to his son describing a doctor who can talk to animals and makes peace among warring animals in Africa.
    Imagination Stage | Bethesda, MD
  • The Great American Hall of Wonders - Exhibit
    This collection of more than 160 objects, including paintings and drawings by John James Audubon and Winslow Homer, as well as botanical illustrations, patent models and engineering diagrams captures a nation at its most aspirational and imaginative.
    Smithsonian American Art Museum - Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC
  • In Line/Out of Line: Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin - Exhibit
    A group exhibition that brings together abstract painters Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin, each of whom uses form, line, and color to create compositions that vary widely, ranging from intuitive to deliberate, loose to rigid, cacophonous to melodic.
    Heiner Contemporary | Washington, DC

Highlighted Events: Mon, January 9

  • Sabor Mondays - Bar/Club Event
    Free admission. Free salsa lessons. Free drinks for women between 9 and 11. Really, you can't lose.
    Lima | Washington, DC
  • The Main Ingredient - Bar/Club Event
    Trust DJ Jahsonic for your weekly dose of classic hip-hop, funk, soul, R&B; and new jack swing.
    Marvin | Washington, DC
  • Chul Hyun Ahn: Illuminated Void - Exhibit
    Constructed with mirrors and electrical lights, Chuyl Hyun Ahn's elegant and mind-bending works are sculptural explorations of infinite space.
    C. Grimaldis Gallery | Baltimore, MD
  • In Line/Out of Line: Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin - Exhibit
    A group exhibition that brings together abstract painters Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin, each of whom uses form, line, and color to create compositions that vary widely, ranging from intuitive to deliberate, loose to rigid, cacophonous to melodic.
    Heiner Contemporary | Washington, DC
  • Andy Warhol: Shadows - Exhibit
    Andy Warhol's late-career "Shadows" project consists of 102 brightly-colored, silk-screened canvases hung side-by-side and measuring 450 linear feet.
    Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden - Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC
  • Billy Elliot the Musical - Performing Arts
    After a failed attempt at boxing, a boy follows his dream of becoming a dancer. At the Opera House.
    The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, DC
  • NSO In Your Neighborhood - Music Event
    The National Symphony Orchestra's Natasha Bogachek, Zino Bogachek, Eric DeWaardt and Yvonne Caruthers play classical works. At the Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater.
    District of Columbia Jewish Community Center | Washington, DC
  • TK the DJ - Miscellaneous Event
    Swing dance
    Chevy Chase Ballroom | Washington, DC
  • A PEN/Faulkner Evening - Book Event
    Monique Truong, author of the novel "Bitter in the Mouth," joins Allegra Goodman, author of the novels "The Cookbook Collector" and "Kaaterskill Falls," and Myla Goldberg, author of the novel "Bee Season," for a reading and discussion of their work. A reception and book sale/signing follow. Tickets for this PEN/Faulkner event are $15; call 202-544-7077 or visit www.folger.edu/penfaulkner to RSVP.
    Folger Shakespeare Library | Washington, DC
  • NSO In Your Neighborhood - Music Event
    Students from the Dance Institute of Washington perform with the National Symphony Orchestra's Glenn Donnellan, Ruth Wicker Schaaf, David Teie and Jeffrey Weisner.
    Dance Institute of Washington | Washington, DC

Highlighted Events: Tues, January 10

  • Bell's Beer Dinner - Bar/Club Event
    Bell's beers should be familiar to most bargoers: The award-winning Michigan brewery's hoppy Two Hearted and summery Oberon are on draft across the area. But the Bell's Beer Dinner at R.F.D. on Jan. 10 will feature five rare brews that almost never make their way to Washington, including Black Note, a blend of Expedition Stout and Double Cream Stout that's aged in bourbon barrels, and Hopsoulution, a double IPA made with hops from Germany and the Pacific Northwest. All five beers will be paired with food, including a manchego mac and cheese made with Hopsoulution, but the star of the night will be what's in your glass.
    R.F.D. Washington | Washington, DC
  • Buraka Som Sistema - Music Event
    This Lisbon-based, Angola-rooted group combines electronic beats and hip-hop vocals with African dance music as its foundation.
    U Street Music Hall | Washington, DC
  • In Line/Out of Line: Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin - Exhibit
    A group exhibition that brings together abstract painters Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin, each of whom uses form, line, and color to create compositions that vary widely, ranging from intuitive to deliberate, loose to rigid, cacophonous to melodic.
    Heiner Contemporary | Washington, DC
  • Chul Hyun Ahn: Illuminated Void - Exhibit
    Constructed with mirrors and electrical lights, Chuyl Hyun Ahn's elegant and mind-bending works are sculptural explorations of infinite space.
    C. Grimaldis Gallery | Baltimore, MD
  • Andy Warhol: Shadows - Exhibit
    Andy Warhol's late-career "Shadows" project consists of 102 brightly-colored, silk-screened canvases hung side-by-side and measuring 450 linear feet.
    Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden - Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC
  • Billy Elliot the Musical - Performing Arts
    After a failed attempt at boxing, a boy follows his dream of becoming a dancer. At the Opera House.
    The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, DC
  • The Bison Beast of Dubois - Performing Arts
    First Draft at Charter Theater presents a reading of Mario Baldessari's comedy about small town prejudices.
    Theatre on the Run | Arlington, VA
  • Can't Hardly Wait, Clueless - Miscellaneous Event
    You've been there to rock out to your favorite band, but on Tuesday the Black Cat takes audiences for a cinematic trip down memory lane with back-to-back screenings of '90s favorites "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Clueless."
    Black Cat | Washington, DC
  • Ambassadors of Young People's Literature - Book Event
    Children's authors Jon Scieszka and Katherine Paterson, both former Ambassadors of Young People's Literature for the Library of Congress, chat about their experiences and what they feel are the crucial roles of the position. They and the audience will be on hand to welcome the third ambassador, young adult novelist Walter Dean Myers, who will be introduced that morning at the Library of Congress.
    Politics & Prose Bookstore | Washington, DC
  • DJ Bruno El Unico - Miscellaneous Event
    Salsa dance. Lesson at 7:30
    Artisphere | Arlington, VA

Highlighted Events: Wed, January 11

  • Chul Hyun Ahn: Illuminated Void - Exhibit
    Constructed with mirrors and electrical lights, Chuyl Hyun Ahn's elegant and mind-bending works are sculptural explorations of infinite space.
    C. Grimaldis Gallery | Baltimore, MD
  • In Line/Out of Line: Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin - Exhibit
    A group exhibition that brings together abstract painters Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin, each of whom uses form, line, and color to create compositions that vary widely, ranging from intuitive to deliberate, loose to rigid, cacophonous to melodic.
    Heiner Contemporary | Washington, DC
  • Andy Warhol: Shadows - Exhibit
    Andy Warhol's late-career "Shadows" project consists of 102 brightly-colored, silk-screened canvases hung side-by-side and measuring 450 linear feet.
    Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden - Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC
  • Billy Elliot the Musical - Performing Arts
    After a failed attempt at boxing, a boy follows his dream of becoming a dancer. At the Opera House.
    The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, DC
  • Building a Vocal Community: Finding Your Voice - Miscellaneous Event
    An evening of community singing, led by Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell.
    Capitol Hill Arts Workshop | Washington, DC
  • Social ballroom dance - Miscellaneous Event
    Lesson at 7:30
    Hollywood Ballroom | Silver Spring, MD
  • Gertrude Stein: A Writer Is a Writer Is a Writer - Miscellaneous Event
    Linda Voris duscusses Stein's writing and the parallels between her work and other modern artists with whom she associated.
    S. Dillon Ripley Center - Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC
  • DJ Dabe Murphy - Miscellaneous Event
    Swing dance
    Nick's Nightclub | Alexandria, VA
  • Donna Britt - Book Event
    The journalist discusses and signs her new book, "Brothers (& Me): A Memoir of Loving and Giving."
    Politics & Prose Bookstore | Washington, DC
  • Think Flat, Think 3D - Miscellaneous Event
    Learn about combining 2D and 3D techniques.
    Capitol Hill Arts Workshop | Washington, DC

Highlighted Events: Thurs, January 12

  • Wine Tasting - Bar/Club Event
    Meet Allie Sharper, owner and winemaker of Brooklyn Oenology in New York at a mini-dinner of five small plates, paired with generous wine pours.
    Northside Social | Arlington, VA
  • In Line/Out of Line: Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin - Exhibit
    A group exhibition that brings together abstract painters Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin, each of whom uses form, line, and color to create compositions that vary widely, ranging from intuitive to deliberate, loose to rigid, cacophonous to melodic.
    Heiner Contemporary | Washington, DC
  • Chul Hyun Ahn: Illuminated Void - Exhibit
    Constructed with mirrors and electrical lights, Chuyl Hyun Ahn's elegant and mind-bending works are sculptural explorations of infinite space.
    C. Grimaldis Gallery | Baltimore, MD
  • Andy Warhol: Shadows - Exhibit
    Andy Warhol's late-career "Shadows" project consists of 102 brightly-colored, silk-screened canvases hung side-by-side and measuring 450 linear feet.
    Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden - Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC
  • Billy Elliot the Musical - Performing Arts
    After a failed attempt at boxing, a boy follows his dream of becoming a dancer. At the Opera House.
    The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, DC
  • Capitol Jam Improv Lab - Performing Arts
    Led by dancer and choreographer Ilana Silverstein, dancers and musicians will come together to stage an improvised performance.
    Dance Exchange | Takoma Park, MD
  • Spotlight on Design: Jim Eyre - Miscellaneous Event
    Jim Eyre presents his London-based architecture firm's Gardens by the Bay in Singapore and Guangzhou International Finance Centre.
    National Building Museum | Washington, DC
  • Holly Gilbert: Unlocking the Secrets of the Sun - Miscellaneous Event
    NASA physicist Holly Gilbert speaks on her research on the solar atmosphere.
    Goddard Space Flight Visitor Center | Greenbelt, MD
  • Evolution of a Collector - Miscellaneous Event
    A talk about collector Duncan Phillips, and his evolving artistic tastes.
    Phillips Collection | Washington, DC
  • Winter Brews: A Seasonal Tasting with the Beer Activist - Bar/Club Event
    Want to learn how to drink beer and save the world? Author Chris O'Brien, the so-called Beer Activist, returns to Sixth & I Historic Synagogue for a tutored tasting of holiday beers brewed by environmentally responsible labels. As an added bonus, the locals are well represented on O'Brien's green brewing list: taste seasonal offerings by DC Brau, Lost Rhino, Flying Dog, Baying Hound Aleworks, Port City Brewing and Chocolate City Beer at 7 p.m.
    Sixth and I Historic Synagogue | Washington, DC

Highlighted Events: Fri, January 13

  • Food Meets Art: Recipes Inspired by Alice B. Toklas - Food Event
    D.C. Restaurant Week (Jan. 9-15) is underway, but why settle for a string of hurried, set-menu sit-downs when you could have one truly exceptional dining experience? James Beard Award nominee Carole Wagner Greenwood's Orange Arrow is one of D.C.'s most sought-after supper clubs, and her three-course homage to "The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook" -- the tome that fed guests of Gertrude Stein's Rue de Fleurus salon during the Parisian avant-garde -- promises to be a one-of-a-kind culinary journey. At 7 p.m.
    Artisphere | Arlington, VA
  • Bootsy Collins - Music Event
    The standout bassist's name is synonymous with funk (not to mention extravagant, glittery tophats).
    The State Theatre | Falls Church, VA
  • Darius the Dragon and Rap-Punzel - Performing Arts
    Encore Stage and Studio offers families two shows for the price of one with "Darius the Dragon" and "Rap-Punzel." In "Darius the Dragon," a goofy dragon finds himself homeless in the 21st century and goes on a quest with his friends to find the king. In a twist on the story of a long-haired girl stuck in a tall tower, "Rap-Punzel" is told in rhythms and rhymes. Best for age 4 and older.
    Spectrum Theatre at Artisphere | Arlington, VA
  • In Line/Out of Line: Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin - Exhibit
    A group exhibition that brings together abstract painters Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin, each of whom uses form, line, and color to create compositions that vary widely, ranging from intuitive to deliberate, loose to rigid, cacophonous to melodic.
    Heiner Contemporary | Washington, DC
  • Chul Hyun Ahn: Illuminated Void - Exhibit
    Constructed with mirrors and electrical lights, Chuyl Hyun Ahn's elegant and mind-bending works are sculptural explorations of infinite space.
    C. Grimaldis Gallery | Baltimore, MD
  • Andy Warhol: Shadows - Exhibit
    Andy Warhol's late-career "Shadows" project consists of 102 brightly-colored, silk-screened canvases hung side-by-side and measuring 450 linear feet.
    Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden - Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC
  • Billy Elliot the Musical - Performing Arts
    After a failed attempt at boxing, a boy follows his dream of becoming a dancer. At the Opera House.
    The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, DC
  • Volta Bureau and Rory Phillips - Bar/Club Event
    D.C.'s DJ supergroup takes over the U Hall DJ booth with help from London's Rory Phillips, a resident at such trendsetting electro/disco/new-wave/synthpop nights as Our Disco, Trash and Durrr.
    U Street Music Hall | Washington, DC
  • The Dial-Up Tour - Performing Arts
    Featuring LiveLavaLive, Meekakitty, Nanalew & Friends
    Fillmore Silver Spring | Silver Spring, MD
  • Basic Gardening: Gardening on a Shoestring - Miscellaneous Event
    Master gardeners share ways to get the best value for your gardening budget.
    Green Spring Gardens Park | Alexandria, VA

Highlighted Events: Sat, January 14

  • Gold Leaf Going Away Party - Music Event
    One of the final shows at the long-running D.C. independent art space features a loaded local lineup including Publicist, Alex, The State Department, Edie Sedgwick and The Dance Party.
    Gold Leaf Studios | Washington, DC
  • Darius the Dragon and Rap-Punzel - Performing Arts
    Encore Stage and Studio offers families two shows for the price of one with "Darius the Dragon" and "Rap-Punzel." In "Darius the Dragon," a goofy dragon finds himself homeless in the 21st century and goes on a quest with his friends to find the king. In a twist on the story of a long-haired girl stuck in a tall tower, "Rap-Punzel" is told in rhythms and rhymes. Best for age 4 and older.
    Spectrum Theatre at Artisphere | Arlington, VA
  • Chul Hyun Ahn: Illuminated Void - Exhibit
    Constructed with mirrors and electrical lights, Chuyl Hyun Ahn's elegant and mind-bending works are sculptural explorations of infinite space.
    C. Grimaldis Gallery | Baltimore, MD
  • In Line/Out of Line: Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin - Exhibit
    A group exhibition that brings together abstract painters Chip Allen, Katherine Sable and Camilo Sanin, each of whom uses form, line, and color to create compositions that vary widely, ranging from intuitive to deliberate, loose to rigid, cacophonous to melodic.
    Heiner Contemporary | Washington, DC
  • Billy Elliot the Musical - Performing Arts
    After a failed attempt at boxing, a boy follows his dream of becoming a dancer. At the Opera House.
    The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, DC
  • Andy Warhol: Shadows - Exhibit
    Andy Warhol's late-career "Shadows" project consists of 102 brightly-colored, silk-screened canvases hung side-by-side and measuring 450 linear feet.
    Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden - Smithsonian Institution | Washington, DC
  • Baltimore Symphony Orchestra - Music Event
    The BSO is led by Itzhak Perlman as he performs selections from Mozart, Vivaldi, and Brahms.
    The Music Center at Strathmore | North Bethesda, MD
  • KanKouran West African Dance Company - Performing Arts
    The local dance company performs an annual show in honor of King.
    Dance Place | Washington, DC
  • Mural making for Kids - Miscellaneous Event
    Murals by Kids for Kids hosts a free event for youth ages 5-18 to help paint a mural and draw pictures that will be sent to an AIDS orphanage in Mumbai. The event is part of the CHAW's 40th anniversary celebration, featuring 40 free events in 40 days. Call 202-547-6839 to register.
    Capitol Hill Arts Workshop | Washington, DC
  • Melanie S. Hatter - Book Event
    The D.C. author reads from and discusses her new novel, "The Color of My Soul" (winner of the 2011 Washington Writers' Publishing House Fiction Prize). A book signing follows.
    One More Page Books | Arlington, VA
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