National Cherry Blossom Festival

Kenwood community in Bethesda. Each 1st-time visitor I took there told me that they never saw so much cherry blossom in their life, which was even better than the Basin's.


Smithsonian Kite Festival
Founded by aviation pioneer Paul E. Garber (1899-1992), the Smithsonian Kite Festival is one of the kite world's premier events and is traditionally connected to the Cherry Blossom Festival. There were competition and demonstrations by kite-flying masters.


Tthe Freer presented a day-long festival of four animated films, all presented in glorious 35mm to celebrate the work of anime masters Hayao Miyazaki and Katsuhiro Otomo. Patrick Drazen, author of "Anime Explosion! The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation", introduced the films and sign books, and the DC Anime Club put on a costume show.


I watched three movies: My Neighbor Totoro, Steamboy, and Howl's Moving Castle.

Tidal Basin Stage Cultural Performances
Performances featuring music, dance, song and martial arts demonstrations.
Kenny Endo: Edo Festival and Theater
Mr. Endo explained the percussive sounds that resonated throughout Japan during the lively Edo period, and demonstrated rhythms of festival music and the extremely popular kabuki theater, as well as his own contemporary works with an ensemble of musicians on koto, shakuhachi, vibraphone, and taiko.


The Cherry Blossom Festival continued with fireworks over the Southwest Waterfront.

DADA & Oscar: What we did not learn from wars?

Dada Feb. 19-May 14, 2006 National Gallery of Art

An international nihilistic movement among European artists and writers in Zurich, Berlin, Hannover, Cologne, New York and Paris that lasted from 1916 to 1922. Born of the widespread disillusionment engendered by World War I to attack conventional standards, such as brutal paintings of disfigured soldiers illustrate World War I's influence, showing stories of artists avoiding censors. See samples on http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/d/dada.html



“Marcel Duchamp, L.H.O.O.Q., 1919, rectified readymade, pencil on a reproduction — a chromolithograph, 7 3/4 x 4 7/8 inches, private collection, Paris. As if the addition of mustache and beard weren't enough of a poke at this most famous of paintings, the letters Duchamp penciled — L.H.O.O.Q. — at the bottom of his altered image are meaningless in themselves, but when read aloud in French, make the sound of "Elle a chaud au cul," meaning, "She has a hot ass."”




The National Archives played free screenings of Oscar-nominated films at the William G. McGowan Theater



Among the Animated Short Film Nominees, I like "The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello" best.
http://www.oscar.com/nominees/bestanimatedshortfilmnominee5.html
"Haunted by a tragic mistake, an aerial navigator leaves his wife behind in their plague-ridden homeland and embarks on a voyage that he hopes will redeem him. “Set in a world of iron airships, this silhouette animation tells the story of Jasper Morello, a disgraced aerial navigator who flees his plague-ridden home hoping to redeem himself. His expedition leads him to an island which is home to a monster that may hold the cure for the Plague. The journey back is filled with dangers but, Jasper soon discovers that the greatest horror of all lies within man himself. For more information visit the film's official website at www.jaspermorello.com."

All Documentary Short Subject Nominees were about wars and genocite pressing for the same question: why we human beings could not resolve our conflicts via means other than wars and genocite?!

http://www.oscar.com/nominees/bestdocumentaryshortsubjectnominee2.html

* The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club
After shooting an award-winning photograph that captured the full horror of starvation in the Sudan, South African photojournalist Kevin Carter found himself tormented by doubts about the ethical implications of his work.
* God Sleeps in Rwanda
The genocide that devastated Rwanda in 1994 also left in its wake a population that was suddenly seventy percent female. Five courageous women struggle to rebuild their lives in a society still reeling from its bloody recent history.
* The Mushroom Club
In this examination of the terrible personal toll that followed the bombing of Hiroshima sixty years ago, ten people whose lives were marked by the explosion are profiled.
* A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin
This exploration of the lasting impact of radio broadcasting legend Norman Corwin's work focuses on his landmark 1945 piece, "On a Note of Triumph," which aired on the evening of VE Day.

Winter: Best Time for Concerts & Theater

** 2006 Air Force Band Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Guest Artist Series
with Spyro Gyro, a well known jazz group http://www.usafband.com/article01.cfm?title_id=73

Founded in 1974 by alto saxophonist Jay Beckenstein, Spyro Gyra has been one of America's most successful pop-jazz-fusion groups. Their first major commercial hit, "Morning Dance," became a Top 40 single in 1979 and went platinum.
American Revolution Constitution Hall, 18th St. between C and D Streets NW, Washington, D.C

** Metropolis Trombone Quartet in Concert
Spencerville Evensong Concert Series http://www.evensongconcerts.org/information.html

The members (Steve Dunkel, Barry Hearn, Gus Mitchell and Craig Mulcahy) formed the group to explore the exciting tonal possibilities of their instruments. The concert featured original works and transcriptions.
** Noor Wodjouatt Ensemble at Kenndey Center
Noor Wodjouatt Ensemble performs authentic Afghan music and Kathak dance. The group’s music can be heard on the CD City of Love.
** Shakespeare Fest 2006 at University of Maryland
http://www.crbs.umd.edu/shakespeare/schedule.html
This one-day, mini-symposium focused on acting, directing, movement, dance, music, and scholarship taught by theatre professionals in a format designed to inform and engage. Participants imaginatively, physically, and vocally investigated how a performer discovers and manifests Shakespeare’s hidden clues to characters’ choices and actions. (I practiced some court dances in Shakespeare's Plays)

Tought the choreography of safe, effective stage combat for theatrical productions ranging from Shakespeare tragedies to musical comedy.
Basic armed (sword) work was taught by introducing basic cuts, thrusts, and parries, while incorporating the basic footwork.
Football Stadium of Maryland Univ.

Chocolate Festival & Chinese New Year Parade

City of Fairfax Annual Chocolate Lovers Festival
hundreds of the finest chocolate sensations: sampling cakes, candies, brownies, fudges and other delicious concoctions
Chocolate Caper in Fairfax Court House: a mock trial based on the nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet" to explain the justice system
Glass Harp Musical Performance — Listen to music magically produced on glass "harps."

Celebrate the coming of the Year of the Dog 4704 in Chinatown's festival: lion and dragon dances

lighting of a five-story-high firecracker
parade

First Night Alexandria & hike Sky Meadows State Park

First Night Alexandria
After the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2005 on the steps of the Masonic Temple, hundreds of people in Alexandria watching the firework. http://www.firstnightalexandria.org/



A moderate 10 mile hike starting in Sky Meadows State Park, climbing up to the AT, and along the AT.

Water-Skiing Santa & Christmas Lights

Location Lady Bird Johnson Park & Columbia Island Marina, viewing from Lady Bird Johnson Park on the Virginia side between the 14th Street and Memorial Bridge to see the Waterskiing Santa and his Kneeboarding Reindeer, the Flying Elves, the Jet Skiing Grinch, and Frosty the Snowman in a dinghy.




Christmas Lights in my neighborhood