Chill and Charm: DC's November Diplomatic Landscape

Event Highlight: Dia de los Muertos Celebration (Saturday, October 28^th )

The National Museum of the American Indian drew a sizeable crowd in the atrium when we stepped into the room. With reflecting light from a descending sun, multicolored fractal patterns illuminated the walls of the atrium. In the middle lay an altar for the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration that the museum was throwing on for the DC public. A towering altar, or ofrendas, was dedicated to the deceased to help guide their spirits back among the living for the holiday.

Throughout the afternoon, the Danza de los Tecuanes (Dance of the Jaguar and Danza de los Viejitos (Dance of the Old Men) were performed by the Grupo los Tecuanes. The Dance of the Jaguar is rooted in the Mixtec understanding of the duality of life and death as well as the fight of good against evil. On the other hand, the Dance of the Old Men was a humorous dance featuring dancers colorfully dressed as old men.

In between performances, the crowds took advantage of the various booths with cultural experts explaining the various aspects of the Dia de los Muertos celebration. It was an amazing event that we are glad we covered as the dances and passion were incredible to witness. Thank to the National Museum of the American Indian for hosing this celebration.

Looking Ahead! 👀 

1. Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy (FREE!) (Tuesday, November 7^th) (12:15PM - 1:45PM)

   • Description: Please join SAIS Professors Henry Farrell and Professor Abraham Newman of Georgetown University as they present their new book.

   • Host Organization: Office of Faculty Affairs, John Hopkins University

2. Able Archer '83: 40 Years On (FREE!) (Wednesday, November 8^th) (7:00PM - 8:30PM)

   • Description: Join Nate Jones of the National Security Archive and Professor Aaron Bateman as they look back on the NATO exercise that almost caused nuclear war.

   • Host Organization: The National Churchill Leadership Center

3. Back to the Future: Two Anti-Racist Novels from the 1920s Book Talk (FREE!) (Thursday, November 9^th) (7:00PM - 9:00PM)

   • Description: Join Peter Höyng for the presentation of two books he co-translated: The Blue Stain and Marylin!

   • Host Organization: Austrian Cultural Forum

4. Italo Calvino: The Writer in the Trees by Duccio Chiarini - Documentary (FREE!) (Friday, November 10^th) (6:00PM - 8:00PM)

   • Description: Join us for a screening of "Italo Calvino: The Writer in the Trees" by Duccio Chiarini and Q&A session with the director.

   • Host Organization: Italian Cultural Institute (IIC)

5. Global Couture Cultural Fashion Show ($100 - $150) (Saturday, November 11^th) (4:30PM - 9:00PM)

   • Description: Join Global Couture US as we explore the handmade work of each designer promoting the ideas, culture, and traditions of each involved country in the fashion show.

   • Host Organization: Global Couture US

International Events List (October 30^th - November 5^th )

Check out the following international embassy and cultural events happening from Monday, October 30^th until Sunday, November 5^th .

Emoji Notes:

👗 = Fancy dress code

Monday, October 30^th , 2023

1. The Plight of the Kremlin’s Political Prisoners (FREE!) (12:00PM - 1:30PM)

   • Description: Please join us for an in-person discussion on The Plight of the Kremlin’s Political Prisoners.

   • Host Organization: Victims of Communism Museum

2. The Kiffness Performance ($22.00+) (6:30PM - 8:30PM)

   • Description: Join David Scott, also known as The Kiffness, as he performs at The Atlantis with his South African background.

   • Host Organization: The Atlantis

3. David Leonhardt — Ours Was the Shining Future: The Rise and Fall of the American Dream - with Ruth Marcus (FREE!) (7:00PM - 8:00PM)

   • Description: Join David Leonhardt and Ruth Marcus for a fascinating book talk at Politics and Prose.

   • Host Organization: Politics and Prose Bookstore

4. Simone Dinnerstein and Awadagin Pratt Piano Concert ($70 - $95) (7:30PM - 9:00PM)

   • Description: For more than 20 years, Simone Dinnerstein and Awadagin Pratt have garnered individual praise for originality and astounding technical prowess—Pratt as an award-winning pianist, conductor, and educator, and Dinnerstein for her luminous piano interpretations of Bach, Glass, and beyond. Together at the Terrace Theater, these former Hayes Series artists perform a remarkable four-hand piano program

   • Host Organization: Washington Performing Arts

Tuesday, October 31^st , 2023

1. Journeys into International Law, Blood Antiquities, and Hollywood ($0 - $12.51) (12:15PM - 1:30PM)

   • Description: Join us for a conversation presented by NAF-Fulbright alum Mark Vlasic.

   • Host Organization: The Netherland-American Foundation

2. Trick or Treat Embassy Row Tour ($42) (6:30PM - 9:00PM)

   • Description: Yes, trick or treating house to house was cool when we were kids. But what about country to country?

   • Host Organization: Things To Do DC

3. The Fifth Annual North Korea Economic Forum Conference (FREE!) (Tuesday, October 31^st - Wednesday, November 1^st ) 👗

   • Description: Drawing from a diverse array of academic disciplines and subject-matter specializations, the two-day conference will cover North Korea's science and technology policy, trademarks, cryptocurrency theft, and semiconductor industry.

   • Host Organization: GW Institute for Korean Studies

Wednesday, November 1^st , 2023

1. Ahead of Her Time: Pan African Women of Faith Called to a Legacy of Moving ($10 - $25) (Wednesday, November 1^st - Friday, November 3^rd ) 👗

   • Description: Join us for a conference celebrating Pan African women of faith, their legacy in unity & justice, with book launches, advocacy, and partner milestones

   • Host Organization: Pan African Women of Faith

2. The Makers of Modern Strategy (FREE!) (12:15PM - 1:30PM)

   • Description: Please join SAIS Professors Brands, Marston, Mahnken and Jones for a discussion of The Makers of Modern Strategy.

   • Host Organization: Office of Faculty Affairs, John Hopkins University

3. Embassies of the World ($28.52) (6:00PM - 9:00PM) 👗

   • Description: Join us for a night of Ambassadors and Diplomats from Embassies of DC to talk about culture and business with people interested in international affairs.

   • Host Organization: The America-Eurasia Center

4. Book Presentation of Claudia Yelen’s “The Empty Chair” (FREE!) (6:00PM - 7:00PM)

   • Description: Join the Embassy of Argentina for a presentation of the book “The Empty Chair” with the author Claudia Yelin.

   • Host Organization: Embassy of Argentina

5. Film Screening: Time Regained ($7.18 - $12.51) (7:00PM - 10:00PM)

   • Description: On November 1st at 7:00 PM join us at the Embassy of France for a screening of a film by Raul Ruiz, Time Regained (1999, in French with English subtitles), in which the director brilliantly manages to "distill all of Marcel Proust’s iconic In Search of Lost Time into a single epic feature."

   • Host Organization: Alliance Française de Washington DC

6. Pamyua Performance (FREE!) (6:00PM - 7:00PM)

   • Description: Pamyua is Alaska’s most famous Inuit band. Their performances honor and share Indigenous Inuit cultural traditions and stories of their heritage through music and ceremony passed down through generations

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center

7. Santiago Cruz Performance ($45 - $50) (7:00PM - 9:00PM)

   • Description: Join Santiago Cruz for a performance as he is one of the most popular pop artists in Colombia.

   • Host Organization: Sixth & I

8. Tango and Champagne Soiree: Argentine Tango Lessons and Evening in Buenos Aires ($32.78) (7:00PM - 9:30PM) 👗

   • Description: Join us on your own or with friends to enjoy an evening of champagne and Argentine Tango dancing with lessons at the Gallery at the Ven at Embassy Row, in the heart of DuPont Circle.

   • Host Organization: International Club of DC

Thursday, November 2^nd , 2023

1. Romanian Film Festival (FREE!) (Thursday, November 2^nd - Sunday, November 5^th )

   • Description: One of the largest events of its kind in North America, The Romanian Film Festival of Washington, D.C. (RFF) kicks off at E Street Cinema on November 2nd, 2023, under the already consecrated motto “Reinventing Realism — New Cinema from Romania”.

   • Host Organization: Multiple organizations

2. Hesperus National Forum (FREE!) (9:00AM - 6:00PM) 👗

   • Description: Join us for the Hesperus National Forum celebrating Native American Heritage Month.

   • Host Organization: Hesperus Foundation

3. Eurowhiteness: A Book Talk with Hans Kundnani (FREE!) (12:30PM - 1:30PM)

   • Description: The EU is about power as much as peace—and civic ideas of Europe are being displaced by ethnic and cultural ones.

   • Host Organization: BMW Center for German and European Studies

4. Humanizing the Conflict Across the Taiwan Strait: Lessons from Strait Talk (FREE!) (2:00PM - 3:15PM)

   • Description: This session will serve as an introduction to the Strait Talk Dialogue Movement, which will hold a workshop at GW in Spring 2024.

   • Host Organization: George Washington University's Taiwan Education and Research Program

5. CACI Hybrid Forum - Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Cooperation: Bridging the Caspian (FREE!) (2:00PM - 3:00PM) 👗

   • Description: Join us on November 2 for a hybrid Forum discussing the implications of this trend for the wider region including Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

   • Host Organization: Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at AFPC

6. Día de los Muertos Celebration (FREE!) (5:00PM - 8:30PM)

   • Description: Join us for a celebration of Dia de los Muertos with singing and dancing.

   • Host Organization: National Portrait Gallery

7. Lecture at the JICC; Staging the Supernatural: Ghosts and the Theater in Japanese Prints (FREE!) (6:30PM - 8:30PM)

   • Description: Join us for a conversation with Dr. Frank Feltens and Dr. Kit Brooks, curators of Japanese Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art to discuss their most recent exhibition on the supernatural.

   • Host Organization: Japan Information and Cultural Center

8. Dia de Los Muertos & Bachata Dancing Event (FREE!) (7:00PM - 10:00PM)

   • Description: Come celebrate the vibrant Mexican tradition of Dia de Los Muertos and let loose with some sizzling Bachata dancing! Join us at Wunder Garten for an unforgettable evening filled with music, dance, and culture.

   • Host Organization: Wunder Garten

Friday, November 3^rd , 2023

1. Pleasing Truths, Framing Identity: A Symposium ($49.87 - $107.48) (9:00AM - 4:00PM) 👗

   • Description: The DAR Museum's Symposium is based on the current exhibition of "Pleasing Truths: Power and Portraits in the American Home.

   • Host Organization: DAR Museum

2. Monuments of the Future (FREE!) (11:30AM - 2:00PM)

   • Description: Join us for a series of discussions, installations, and workshops about monuments and their statements of power and presence in public.

   • Host Organization: Goethe-Institut Washington

3. Free Tour of President James Monroe's Home (FREE!) (11:30AM - 12:00PM)

   • Description: Tour the Federal mansion of America's fifth President James Monroe and his family and see behind the scenes of an exciting arts venue.

   • Host Organization: The Arts Club of Washington

4. Susana Arins Book Talk (FREE!) (4:00PM - 6:00PM)

   • Description: Join Spanish writer and teacher Susana Sanches Arins visits Georgetown University for a conversation and presentation about her book “And they say.”

   • Host Organization: SPAIN Arts and Culture

5. Black Belt Eagle Scout Performance (FREE!) (6:00PM - 7:00PM)

   • Description: This land runs through Katherine Paul’s blood, and it called to her. In dreams she saw the river, her ancestors, and her home. Paul’s album The Land, The Water, The Sky is a celebration of lineage and strength.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center

6. Opening Reception for "Movement and Textures" at Gallery Underground (FREE!) (5:00PM - 7:00PM)

   • Description: Nataliya Gurshman presents her solo show “Movement & Textures”, featuring works in oil that originate from her experiences of winter growing up in Leningrad. These formative years became rooted in her soul and are expressed in her lush and textural pieces.

   • Host Organization: Arlington Artists Alliance

7. Martha Redbone Roots Project ($14) (7:30PM - 8:30PM)

   • Description: Come watch Martha Redbone as she performs a combination of blues and roots music.

   • Host Organization: Dumbarton Oaks

8. Marcel Proust Reading Night ($0 - $10) (7:00PM - 8:30PM)

   • Description: Immerse yourself in the universe of Marcel Proust at the Embassy of France.

   • Host Organization: Embassy of France

Saturday, November 4^th , 2023

1. 17th Annual Parade of Trabants (FREE!) (10:00AM - 4:00PM)

   • Description: Join us for the ONLY Trabant Rally in the United States! Celebrate the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall at this festive gathering of the quintessential Cold War car—the Trabant.

   • Host Organization: International Spy Museum

2. 2023 DC Beer Fest ($61.07 - $105.80) (12:00PM - 8:00PM)

   • Description: Join us at DC's largest beer festival, featuring over 80 breweries, food trucks, bands, dueling pianos, and much more, throughout Nats Park.

   • Host Organization: DC Beer Fest

3. Exhibition Tour: The Land Carries Our Ancestors (FREE!) (1:00PM - 2:00PM)

   • Description: This exhibition tour introduces works by contemporary Native artists from across the United States. Looking at a range of styles and techniques—including weaving, beadwork, sculpture, painting, printmaking, drawing, and photography—we’ll consider how these artists visualize Indigenous knowledge of land and reflect on our relationship to landscape.

   • Host Organization: National Gallery of Art

4. Adams Morgan Fall Porchfest (FREE!) (2:00PM - 6:00PM)

   • Description: Inclusive, diverse and entertaining, Adams Morgan PorchFest brings neighbors, tourists, and families together with one thing in common: a love of music.

   • Host Organization: Adams Morgan BID

5. Reclaiming Cambodia’s Cultural Heritage: Provenance Research in Action (FREE!) (2:30PM - 3:30PM)

   • Description: Learn about provenance research in action through the lens of the team working to reclaim Cambodia’s cultural heritage.

   • Host Organization: National Museum of Asian Art

6. Kinship: An Artist Talk with Anna Tsouhlarakis (FREE!) (3:30PM - 4:30PM)

   • Description: Join us for an artist talk with Anna Tsouhlarakis where she will discuss her work in the “Kinship" exhibition and her performance "Portrait of an Indigenous Woman”.

   • Host Organization: National Portrait Gallery

7. Ben Sollee Performance (FREE!) (6:00PM - 7:00PM)

   • Description: A graduate of the University of Louisville School of Music, Sollee holds a BFA in cello performance. Since his debut record in 2008, Mr. Sollee has released six studio records and eight EPs garnering praise from the New York Times and NPR.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center

8. Dia De Los Muertos Unidos Benefit Festival: We Are Stronger Together (FREE!) (Saturday, November 4^th - Sunday, November 5^th )

   • Description: Join us for our 7th Annual Dia de los Muertos Benefit Festival on November 4, 2023 on the National Mall

   • Host Organization: Dia De Los Muertos DC (DDLMDC)

Sunday, November 5^th , 2023

1. St Mark Orthodox Church Ethnic Food Festival (FREE!) (12:00PM - 4:00PM)

   • Description: Join us for the St. Mark Orthodox Church Ethnic Food Festival as we will have Slavic and Eastern European food specialties such as piroghi, piroshki, halupki, Chicken Kiev, Beef Stroganoff, kielbasa, blini, spanakopita and side dishes.

   • Host Organization: St. Mark Orthodox Church

2. Dorothea Lange: Seeing People Film (FREE!) (12:00PM - 1:00PM)

   • Description: Join us for an introductory presentation on Dorothea Lange: Seeing People by exhibition curator Philip Brookman.

   • Host Organization: National Gallery of Art

3. Dr. Armand Lione — Native American History of Washington, DC (FREE!) (5:00PM - 6:00PM)

   • Description: Join Dr. Armand Lione as she recounts the Native American history of Washington, DC..

   • Host Organization: Politics and Prose

4. Romanian Film Festival (FREE!) (Sunday, November 5^th )

   • Description: One of the largest events of its kind in North America, The Romanian Film Festival of Washington, D.C. (RFF) kicks off at E Street Cinema on November 2nd, 2023, under the already consecrated motto “Reinventing Realism — New Cinema from Romania”.

   • Host Organization: Multiple organizations

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