Article Text
A packed weekend of art, theater, dance and live music awaits Falls Church and the surrounding region from Jan. 10-12, with several popular productions and exhibitions nearing their final dates.
Visual arts
Falls Church Arts will open “Full Circle” with a meet-the-artists reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. The exhibition brings together 42 artists exploring circles and the idea of coming full circle.
The Juror’s Choice Award will be announced during the reception at the gallery, 700-B West Broad St. The show remains on view through Feb. 23.
At the National Gallery of Art, visitors have until Jan. 19 to see “Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment.” The exhibition examines the origins of Impressionism through 130 works, including paintings by Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot and Camille Pissarro.
The presentation reunites numerous works from the 1874 exhibition associated with the birth of modern painting. Washington is its only American stop.
Alliance Gallery, 2700 Clarendon Blvd. in Arlington, is presenting “Natural Connections,” a small group exhibition featuring Arlington Artists Alliance members. The works depict nature, incorporate natural materials or combine natural and human-made elements. An event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 12.
“The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture” is also on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The exhibition considers how sculpture has helped construct and interpret ideas about race in the United States.
Its 82 works were made by 70 artists between 1792 and 2023, with materials ranging from bronze and marble to shoes, paper and hair. The free exhibition continues through Sept. 14, 2025. The museum holds the world’s largest collection of American sculpture.
Classes and theater
The Mary Riley Styles Public Library will offer a beginner American Sign Language class from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 12. Members of the Meridian High School ASL Honor Society will teach the all-ages session, part of a four-class series, in the Upper Level Conference Room at 120 N. Virginia Ave. Registration is open.
Sunday is the final day to see Signature Theatre’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy follows the escalating schemes, mistaken identities and chases surrounding three neighboring households in ancient Rome.
Studio Theatre has extended “Summer, 1976,” David Auburn’s two-person play starring Holly Twyford and Kate Eastwood Norris. Set in an Ohio college town, the story follows artist Diana and faculty wife Alice, whose daughters bring the very different women together at a moment of personal change.
At Theater J, Tony Award winner Ari’el Stachel is performing his autobiographical one-man show “Out of Character” through Jan. 26. Stachel portrays an ensemble of figures from his past while exploring his Yemeni Jewish mixed ethnicity, mental health, fame and the challenge of accepting a complex identity.
Dance and live music
The third annual DC Public Schools Dance Festival arrives at the Atlas Performing Arts Center at 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. Students from across Washington will perform contemporary, modern, hip-hop, jazz and culturally rooted dance. The all-ages program reflects work developed with teaching artists and community leaders.
Creative Cauldron’s 14th annual Passport Music Festival runs from Jan. 10 through Feb. 1 at 410 S. Maple Ave. in Falls Church. Presented in an intimate club setting, the series features performers working across Latin music, jazz, blues, folk and world music.
George Mason University’s Center for the Arts will host the 45th International Saxophone Symposium on Friday and Saturday. Organized by the U.S. Navy Band, the free event includes more than 150 performances, masterclasses and lectures for musicians of all ages.
Programming begins at noon Jan. 10 and 9 a.m. Jan. 11. Featured artists include Makoto Hondo, ~Nois and Musician First Class Harrison Clarke on Friday evening, followed by Will Vinson at 8 p.m. Saturday. The symposium, first held in 1978, highlights the saxophone’s place in classical and jazz music.
Pat Garvey will lead “One Irish Rover: A Celebration of Van Morrison” at 8 p.m. Friday at the State Theatre. The performance draws from Morrison’s blend of blues, soul, rock, Celtic music and jazz. Tickets purchased in person at the box office carry a $1 fee.
The Breakdown will perform rock, blues, funk and jazz at Clare & Don’s at 6 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, Northern Virginia classic-rock cover band Curtis Knocking will play songs from the 1960s through the 1990s at Solace Brewing Company from 8 to 11 p.m.
Earp’s Ordinary, 10420 Main St. in Fairfax, has three nights of music scheduled. The Ken Demith Collection and Chevre perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, followed by Homer’s Donut at 8 p.m. Saturday and King Street Bluegrass with No Part of Nothin’ at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Born Cross Eyed will close out another corner of the weekend with music centered on the Grateful Dead’s jam-band catalog. The group performs from 7 to 10:45 p.m. Saturday at Settle Down Easy Brewing Co., 2822 Fallfax Drive in Falls Church. Admission is $10.