The DC Traveler

In 1912, a gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo was presented to the people of Washington, DC.  Since then, the annual cherry blossom festival has been a reminder of the bond with Japan.
For two weeks at the Kennedy Center, you can enjoy Japan Culture + Hypreculture as it explodes with over 40 performances, 450 artists, lectures, cultural events, music and dance performances, anime and more. Plus, many of the events are free. 
Some of the free events include:

Robots, robots and more robots at Robotopia Rising – Feb. 7–17, Mon. – Fri. 12:30–7:30, Sat. & Sun. 10–7:30. Free, …read more

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What happens when you blend opera, old world Bohemian cabaret music from the 1920s, swing, tango, Ukrainian folk-punk, belly dance, Yiddish Klezmer music and an accordion?  You get none other than Vagabond Opera.
This six-piece band delivers an eclectic, high-energy blend of about a dozen musical styles sung in eleven languages in a format that’s 100% bohemian. 
They’re strange, wacky, a bit kitschy, and their music can be totally unpredictable.   It’s almost too hard to describe, but audiences are raving about how fun they are to watch.   Here’s your chance to see them direct from Portland, for free at the Millennium Stage …read more

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Just one word says it all… Phantom.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera is now the longest running play in history, spanning over 20 years in London and 19 on Broadway. It also won seven Tony Awards in 1988, including Best Musical.
Based on the novel of the same name by French writer Gaston Leroux, it tells a story of the disfigured white-masked composer who terrorizes the Paris Opera as he falls in love and teaches the beautiful young opera singer.
As the top grossing and most attended play in history, it’s safe to say that 80 million theater goers can’t …read more

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P.D.Q. Bach was born in Leipzig in 1742, the son of the famous German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. Music was in his blood from an early age, but unfortunately, talent was not.
At the age of 13, P.D.Q. worked as an apprentice with the inventor of the musical saw. When his father died, the only possession left to him was a kazoo. By 28, he began writing classical music, mostly by stealing melodies from other popular composers.
His unique musical style incorporated “instruments” not often found in other classical orchestras. He wrote pieces for the tromboon, an instrument that combined the “worst” …read more

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The Night Kitchen Radio Theater produces contemporary and original stories as well as updated retellings of classic children’s dramas, mysteries and comedies that are broadcast on XM Satellite Radio. 

Radio theater began in the 1920s and by the 1940s it was the most popular form of entertainment. Probably the best-known radio theater broadcast was Orson Welles, The War of the World adaptation in 1938.
NKRT presents this month’s story - Don Quixote, based on the book by Miguel de Cervantes of a chivalrous wandering knight with his companion Sancho Panza.
Night Kitchen Radio Theater – Don Quixote
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts 
2700 F Street, NW
Washington …read more

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Washington Reflections Dance Company presents a performance of dance, poetry, video and music to celebrate Kwanzaa, the African culture holiday.
Professional dancers from Washington Dance Instiute, in a “shake-the-rafters” performance along side young dance students, West African dancer and drummers,  and hip-hop dance and theater, bring the spirit of the Kwanzaa holiday alive.
The Kwanzaa holiday was first celebrated in 1966. And the name Kwanzaa is from the Swahilli phrase for “first fruits”.  There are seven principles of Kwanzaa – unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performaing Arts – Concert Hall
2700 F Street, NW
Washington …read more

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Premiering at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and running through December 17, is the world premiere of a Kennedy Center original production of the 32-page illustrated children’s book authored by Katie Couric, The Brand New Kid.
Kouric is best known as the former host of the Today show on NBC, and now anchor of the CBS Evening News.
On the first day of second grade, kids at the Brookhaven School encounter a new student, Lazlo S. Gasky. But Laszlo is different.  He has an accent, he’s very blond, a bit loud and thus immediately ostracized and teased by his …read more

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