Even though it’s a holiday weekend, we have a jam-packed schedule lined up! Hope to see you at one, or many, of the following classes & performances.

Friday

• Wandering Souls presents: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at 7:30 pm
• Rock Bands perform at 9:00 – 11:00: Noah’s Ark was a Spaceship, Dance for the Dying, and John Wayne Hero.

Saturday

• Say hello to BloomBars at the Columbia Heights Community Marketplace from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm!
• Kick off a relaxing holiday weekend with some refreshing yoga! 10:00 am – 11:00 am.
• Or, kick off your holiday weekend with some Capoeira kicks and gingas, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Sunday

• After going out on Saturday night, avoid taking to the streets by watching Sunrise Cinema, 2:30 am – 6:30 am.
• Undo the damage from Saturday night by sweating it out in Pilates class, 10:00 am – 11:00 am.
• Aspiring singers: receive personal instruction from an accomplished soprano, Alexandra Phillips, at Sing with Alexandra, 12:00 – 1:00 pm (Registration Required, click here for details.)
• Learn slam poetry performance techniques from a pro at High Wattage with Regie Cabico. 4:00 – 7:00 pm (Registration Required, click here for details)
• Seed the Sound welcomes musicians Huda Asfour, Nadim Khoury & Ayman Mabrouk, 8:30 – 10:30 pm.

Every week, we send out an update to our wonderfully supportive community.

Inside, you’ll find advance notice of upcoming events, additions to our BloomBars resident fellows, personal notes from artists, our latest videos, art and music news from around the world, and more about how BloomBars is growing in our neighborhoods.

If you’ve written down your email address while visiting BloomBars, chances are you already get the email – so keep an eye out!

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In this week’s newsletter, Author, Illustrator, & BloomBars supporter Shane W. Evans Asks, “What Makes Your Dreams Bloom?”

Dear Friends of BloomBars, Growth… What is that? It is often a concept we associate with how tall something or someone is getting – “oh, look at how tall you have grown,” grandma says as she measures her granddaughter against the wall. Well, I have found that growth can take place in the spirit; it is something that you cannot measure, and the impact of an inch can truly mean a mile. That is where we are! We are at a stage where the growth of spirit has actually entered into that phase where growing pains start to take place. You remember that awkward stage around your teen years when some body parts started to ache due to the speed with which your body was expanding… Well, we hang in there because we know it passes. So many things have transpired – the ups and the downs, the highs and the lows, the lefts and the rights, the changes and the choices… Olu’s Dream has continued to quietly inspire and motivate. This little character speaks to the growth of spirit and the living forward of dreams, and this concept has spread from Mali in West Africa to Washington, D.C. We have seen Dream Studio connect community through the arts and through the dream in a dynamic way, a dynamic bloom in the “middle west.” Inspiring and inspired by all around us, the dream continues to grow. These roots reach out to BloomBars, and we believe beyond sight that the seed that has landed in Columbia Heights will prosper, grow, and inspire a community. We’ve been invited back to be one of six featured authors at the Kennedy Center’s 15th Annual Multicultural Book Festival. Last year, the event hosted close to 20,000 families and I literally did not stop moving for seven hours straight. One of the highlights was sharing Olu’s Dream on one of the Kennedy Center Stages and getting to share “The Dream Theme.” People were so inspired that Olu’s Dream sold out! So this year, we look to share the new illustrated works, My Brother Charlie written by Holly Robinson Peete and her daughter Ryan, Black Jack By Charles Smith, and of course, the cornerstone of the dream, Olu’s Dream, in an even more dynamic fashion. As was the case last year (and you have to see the videos), it would not be a BloomBars event, if we didn’t reach out to the community at large with the dream, so we have already scheduled meetings with four grade school classes in the D.C. school district and a night of music and special guests at BloomBars, and then on to the Kennedy Center. After that, we up to New York City to participate in the Brooklyn Book Festival. Let’s keep bringing these dreams to bloom… Many thanks to you all. Shane W. Evans Author/Illustrator/Artist/Musician/Humanitarian www.olusdream.com www.shaneevans.com Read more…

Can’t sleep, can’t drive? Watch movies til sunrise!

We hope this will provide a healthy and safe alternative to driving all the way out to Sterling, VA or Gaithersburg, MD. We hope to get some comedians for the first ½ hour like the last time, (And we’re taking applications). Nothing like a little laughter at 2:30 in the morning to wake you up.

All movies are chosen by the audience and include everything from indie films, to documentaries, to comedies, and dramas.

• Date: Starting Sunday, September 5th (also known as “late Saturday night”) and continuing the first Sunday of every month.
• Time: 2:30 AM – 6:30 AM
• $5 to $10 suggested donation.
• RSVP on Facebook!

We are also looking for insomniac volunteers to help us! Please email nilanga@bloombars.com if you can lend a hand.

Three Bands Rock BloomBars Friday at 9:00 pm!

Noah’s Ark Was A Spaceship is a four piece rock band from Omaha, Nebraska formed in 2004 by good friends Andrew Gustafson and John Svatos. The band has undergone several lineup changes until being joined by drummer Rob Webster in 2007 and guitarist Rick Black in 2009. Influenced by late 80’s and early 90’s alternative rock the band combines noisy guitars, fuzzed out bass and hard hitting drums in a simple songwriting fashion.

John Wayne Hero is a four piece rock outfit from Washington DC. Formed in 2007 as a declaration of love for DC punk, 90′s fuzz and loud guitars, post-rock, and thought-provoking lyrics, the band has quickly garnered a local following since, notably for their “raw and honest” live shows. They released their debut album on iTunes this past spring, and will continue to write, record, and perform new material through the remainder of the year.

Blend synth melodies with driving beats and ethereal electric guitars, and add to it a delicious layer of sexy and seductive female voice that you can’t help but sway to, and you have just a taste of the four piece rock/dance outfit called Dance for the Dying. The mission of the band is to channel music through their instruments that will suit the evolution of human experiences while supplying music that crowds cannot avoid moving to.

• Suggested donation of $10
• All ages welcome
• Show starts at 9 pm!
• RSVP on Facebook!

Celebrate Shakespeare!

Join BloomBars and Wandering Souls as we bring one the Bard to life  in Columbia Heights, for three Friday night performances. If you’ve never experienced a Shakespeare play live, this is your chance to get up close & personal.

Wit, music, romance and revelry are the food of love at this comedic feast of lovers and fools. One of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies – Twelfth Night – is a play about love in all its excess.  Merry deceptions, mistaken identities and yellow stockings abound in this lilting comedy.

Pay-What-You-Can Performances at BloomBars:

• Friday, September 3 at 7:30 pm
• Friday, September 10 at 7:30 pm
• Friday, September 24 at 7:30 pm
• Suggested Donation for all performances is $15
• RSVP on Facebook!

About Wandering Souls

Wandering Souls is dedicated to making the luxury of the arts more accessible to everyone! At the core of our mission is a belief that the arts can fuel our imagination, encourage our personal growth and help unite individuals and communities. Yet, the richness of the arts is often considered a luxury.

By bringing stripped-down, high quality, energetic performances to those who have little or no access we hope to break down that misconception. We hope to open the channels to engaging conversations, new experiences and– in the process– provide opportunities for a broader cultural exchange. 

Starts September 2nd at 9:30 pm!

Every first Thursday, celebrated flutist Arch Thompson will call on a listening audience to experience love for “Mother Earth” through his music and the music of special guests.

Arch is a strong advocate for the environment, and uses his music to help educate about the importance of clean air and being good caretakers of the planet.

According to Arch, “Every one of us is a flute waiting for life’s precious gift of clean air to fill our lungs, to feed our brain cells, give us life in abundance and keep our hearts pumping with the flow of blood through our bodies. I have learned throughout my life that music can vibrate the unseen core of the human soul.”

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Arch Thompson is a gifted flutist, composer/arranger and performer who upholds a rich and diverse musical tradition that extends from the shores of the Caribbean Islands and on to North, Central and South America.

Learn More about Arch Thompson’s distinguished background and preview his beautiful flute music.

• Date: Every First Thursday, Starting September 2nd!
• Time: 9:30 – 11:30 pm
• Suggested Donation: $10
• Learn More about Arch Thompson
• RSVP on Facebook!

Join us at BloomBars on Tuesday August 31st for a participatory performance art installation, screening of THE COAT HANGER PROJECT, Q&A with filmmaker Angie Young, and to take home your own copy of the film!

About the film:
“Since the passage of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, anti-choice forces have been making it their mission to dismantle women’s reproductive freedom. They came together, brilliantly strategized, pooled their resources, and slowly but steadily they have been implementing their attack. Their weapons: money, the legal system, the government, the media, the church, and – this is the scariest of all – you.”

Although legalized through Roe vs. Wade, abortions have become increasingly less accessible, due to restrictive state laws and a reduction in government funding. The Coat Hanger Project examines the current state of reproductive rights legislation and explores what life was like for women prior to Roe vs. Wade.

• Date: Tuesday, August 31st
• Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
• Donation: $10
• RSVP on Facebook!
• NOTE: This film contains graphic images. Viewer discretion advised!

Monday, August 30th at 9:00 pm!

The Garden Open Mic blooms every monday night with music, poetry, comedy, dance, storytelling and more. Signup list opens at 8:30; and the show starts at 9:00 pm.

This week, co-hosts Jonathan B. Tucker & Gowri K. welcome SongRise, Washington DC’s all-women social justice a capella group.

About SongRise:

Founded in 2009, SongRise is Washington DC’s all-women social justice a cappella group. Songrise uses its music to inspire people to fight for social and political change. Performing everything from Sweet Honey in the Rock to Salt N Pepa, SongRise offers up its singing talents at community events, rallies, protests, farmer’s markets, civil rights celebrations, DC voting rights events, arts showcases, in schools, at churches, and in prisons.

Date: Monday, August 30th
Time: Show starts at 9:00 pm
Donation: $10
RSVP on Facebook!

Starting on Sunday, September 5th at 12:00 pm – Register Here!

Have you ever wanted to sing? Do you want to get back into singing again? Are you ready to start auditioning for musicals? A band? American idol?

Well check this out! This voice class includes one-on-one interaction, techniques for breathing and connecting with your sound and voice, and adapts to various skill levels and experience.

Students bring in songs they want to sing, and songs will also be assigned to each student. This is a very nurturing class that encourages exploration of the singing warrior within. Who is this appropriate for? All artists from actors to singers to kids to adults – all ages are welcome! Alexandra wants to help you find your voice!

The class will begin with a 15-week session (the equivalent to a whole semester) that includes an hour per week of lessons. At the end of the session, students will perform a recital on the BloomBars stage.

For this program to take place, BloomBars requires preregistration of at least 7 participants. Register now to ensure this class will continue! $100 is due at time of registration, with the remaining $200 due on the first day of class. Altogether, that means small group classes from a trained professional for just $20/class!

About the Instructor, Alexandra Phillips

Alexandra Phillips, Soprano, is a classically trained opera singer and performer, who loves to explore the collaboration and fusions of different genres and techniques. She has soloed at such venues as the Kennedy Center, the Folger Theatre, and recently returned from a three month performance tour in Italy. In addition, she has released her new recording “High Notes” which includes coloratura opera arias such as “Glitter and be Gay” from Bernstein’s “Candide,” as well as arias from “Lucia di Lammermoor” by Donizetti and “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” by Offenbach.

• Date: Sunday, September 5th, 2010 through Sunday, December 19th
• Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• Donation: $20 per person per week for group lessons
• Payment Details: $100 Due at Registration; $200 Due on September 5th at the first class.
• Private lessons also available for a donation of $65 per person per hour.
• Registrater for Group Classes Now!

Join BloomBars as we say Bon Voyage to our BloomBars Ambassador, friend, and supporter Hope Leigh Rollins. Hope’s moving to LA and we will miss her and her beautiful music dearly.

Ms. Ally Way will also help send Hope off in the right style, so please come to BloomBars for amazing local music.

• Date: TONIGHT! Sunday, August 29
• Time: 8:30 – 10:30 pm
• Donation: $10
• RSVP on Facebook!

About Hope Leigh Rollins:

Hope is a local singer songwriter who is an alumni of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and American University, But before all of that, when she was four years old, Hope Leigh became a performer. Attending an arts preschool, she insisted on giving nightly violin and recorder concerts on the stage in her home [ to her it was stage, to the masses it was a fireplace ]. 2 decades later she was still playing on stages, but this …time, they were real. With her debut album ” Hey Mom, Look What I Can Do” which was released on Valentines day of this year, Hope is moving to Los Angeles at the end of the summer to pursue a career in music full time. Hope Leigh is a fresh voice for the times. Her tunes flirt with acoustic indie and pop and stand on a foundation of classical training . Her powerful voice is filled with emotion, and gives the listener a new take on a wide range of genres , making contemporary covers her own and delivering her original music with truth and charm.

About Ally Way:

Ally Way is a 2009 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Young Artist Grant Award winner and CEO of AK Way Publishing and Florals and Foxtails Entertainment. She has performed around the world in several different genres and languages. Ally Way writes, records and produces all of her own material and encourages other artist to do the same. Music is Ally’s full time profession and had dedicated her academic career to such also. She attended University of Maryland, College Park, where she studied voice and music education with Carmen Balthrop and Francois Loup. Ally is a pianist, guitarist and poet. She is in the process of publishing two books: “Two Over Twenty” and “Power Affirmations for Artist”.