Free Dance Experiences To Take Place Across DC and Arlington

The Washington Ballet (TWB) is excited to announce the return of Dance for All, our community engagement program that brings the joy and artistry of dance to the greater Washington, DC Metropolitan area. Our fall 2019 Dance for All festival features over 30 free dance events from September 14 to October 19 with free dance classes for all ages, lecture demonstrations, and ballet performances at festivals and community events.

Dance for All is part of The Washington Ballet's commitment to serve all eight wards of the District of Columbia and grow this initiative to include neighborhoods in Virginia and Maryland. Expanding and sustaining community engagement is a key component of the Company's mission statement.

The Washington Ballet will participate in two programs celebrating National Dance Day at the opening festivities for The REACH at The Kennedy Center including a performance of excerpts from Fives by Choo San Goh. Goh was the resident choreographer and associate artistic director of The Washington Ballet from 1976 until his death in 1987.

Professional dancers will also perform at The National Portrait Gallery and at CityCenter Plaza. Dancers from The Washington Ballet will visit patients at Children's Medical Center and host a dance party in the Atrium for all who can participate.

Eleven free dance classes from Creative Movement for ages 3-5 and Pre-or Beginner Ballet for children and adults, to Barre and Zumba will be offered at both The Washington Ballet's northwest and southeast campuses. Additionally, the company will partner with The Hirshhorn Museum's STORYTIME series introducing young children to artworks and movement through dance.

Audiences will be treated to an afternoon of 'Excerpts from Tchaikovsky' at both campuses celebrating the 75th Anniversary of The Washington School of Ballet (TWSB) with a 30 minute performance featuring highlights from The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty. Birthday cake, activities, and a Q&A with dancers will be included.

"Our inaugural Dance for All this spring was such a tremendous success," said The Washington Ballet's Artistic Director Julie Kent. "With over 4,000 people served at 11 DC Public Libraries, the Cherry Blossom Festival and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, to name a few places we visited, The Washington Ballet was truly everywhere. Dance for All gives us the opportunity to connect with the community in a new way and share our love for this art form with everyone."

SPOTLIGHT EVENTS

The Washington School of Ballet Birthday Party and 'Excerpts from Tchaikovsky'
Sunday, September 15: 11:00AM-12:30PM at the NW Campus
Sunday, October 6: 3:00-4:30PM at the SE Campus

The REACH at The Kennedy Center - Opening Festival
Saturday, September 21
12:00-12:45PM: Storytime Demonstration
6:00-7:00PM: DC Dance History Interactive Lecture and Performance

CityCenter Plaza: District of Joy Performances (2)
Wednesday, September 25 and Wednesday, October 2, 6:30-7:30PM

Hispanic Heritage Month Community Day - The National Portrait Gallery
Saturday, September 28, 11:30AM-12:30PM

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden STORYTIME Partnership (3)
Wednesday, September 18, 10:00-11:00AM and 11:30AM-12:30PM
Sunday, September 29, 11:00AM-12:00PM - Spanish STORYTIME

Arlington Valley Fest
Sunday, September 29, 12:00-5:00PM

Taste of the Harvest Festival at THEARC
Saturday, October 19, 4:00-8:00PM
Full Event Information The Washington Ballet (TWB) was founded as The Washington School of Ballet by Mary Day in 1944 and incorporated as a professional company in 1976. At the helm is internationally acclaimed ballerina Julie Kent. As The Washington Ballet's Artistic Director, Kent's mission is to build a world-class dance company in the Nation's Capital, by continuing the tradition of classical ballet and contributing to the evolution of the art form through contemporary works and new commissions. The Washington Ballet strives to reflect the diversity of the community and the nation through its dancers and its repertoire. Kent has introduced into the repertoire seminal works by George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, Jerome Robbins, Antony Tudor, Justin Peck and Alexei Ratmansky while embracing the work of emerging choreographers including Clifton Brown, Gemma Bond, and Ethan Stiefel, among others.

Her commitment to the development of both the dancer and the art form is fulfilled through the presentation of beloved classic 19th-century ballets and landmark 20th-century works while reaffirming a commitment to commissioned works that will contribute to the evolution of ballet and its relevance in our times. TWB's three-part mission: ensuring excellence in its professional performance company; growing the next generation of dancers through its school, professional training programs, and Studio Company; and serving the community in which it resides through community engagement programs will continue to propel TWB to a more prominent place within the nation's capital and beyond.

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