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”.

Learn to Samba at BloomBars!

Many of you may remember BloomBars’ event, “Levantamos and BloomBars present: A Celebration of Afro-Brazilian Culture.” Zezeh gave a class no first-time Samba dancer will ever forget. What a workout!

Don’t be that guy/girl standing up against the wall watching everyone. Just think, by next carnival you’ll be ready for every party in the city, if you don’t choose to go to Brazil to experience the real thing.

About the Instructor, Zezeh Zax:

Zezeh Zax is a Washington, DC based dancer, teacher, and professional performer of Brazilian samba and founder of the ZEZEH BRAZIL Dance Troupe.

Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Zezeh Zax is a former Carnival Queen of the Unidos do Peruche samba school. She has danced professionally for over 15 years in a number of countries, appearing on Brazilian television shows and performing in a variety of venues in the United States.

Saturday, August 28th at 8:30 – 11:30 pm

Come out for a spectacular evening of music!

Opening the evening will be Ralph Wittenberg, performing songs on the guitar that your heart will sing with, and your hips will shake to.

Next, Ramona and the Silver Hondas on summer tour will delight the night with their original folk rock songs.

Headlining: DC’s new acoustic rock band Amber Dutton, featuring the savvy songwriting skills of Amber Dutton with Gregg Hammond on guitar, bass, mandolin, and Rob Reid on percussion.

This evening will be one to remember!

This is a donation-based fundraiser for Bloombars and and Guitars Not Guns, please donate $10 to $20 to help these organizations support the arts in our community.

Date: Saturday, August 28th
Time: 8:30 – 11:30 pm
Suggested Donation: $10
RSVP on Facebook!

Enjoy a full day of BloomBars events to honor Columbia Heights Day: Saturday, August 28th!

Join BloomBars on Columbia Heights Day for a full day (and night) of programming to celebrate our community and all that it has to offer!

We’ll be open all day, with belly dance, yoga, capoeira, salsa, tap dance, samba, Storytime, Open Mic, live music, and even Sunrise Cinema (Movies all night!). Basically, we’re fitting our entire week of programs into one day!

• Events start at 9:00 am and keep going till 6:30 am on Sunday! View the complete schedule below.
• All ages are welcome for every event.
• Suggested Donation: $10 per event.
• RSVP on Facebook
• More info on Gregg Hammond/Amber Dutton/Rob Reid

Columbia Heights Day Schedule:

9:00 – 10:00 am – Belly Dance
10:00 – 11:00 am – Yoga
11:00 – 12:00 pm – Capoeira
12:00 – 12:45 pm – Children’s StoryTime with Mahogany Books
1:00 – 5:00 pm – Columbia Heights Media Project will be interviewing residents for a hyperlocal documentary
2:00 – 4:00 pm – The Garden: Open Mic: Special afternoon session
4:00 – 5:00 pm – Cuban Salsa & Tap Dance Jam
5:30 – 6:30 pm – Brazilian Hour! Samba lesson and performance.

8:30 – 10:30 pm – Live performances by local guitar & folk musicians Ralph Wittenberg, Amber Dutton, and Greg Hammond to benefit Guitars not Guns

And it doesn’t stop there!

2:30 am – 6:30 am – Sunrise Cinema: Don’t drink & drive! Watch movies until sunrise. Let us know if you’d like to help. We’re looking for comedians and film curators.

View Details on Facebook!

End of Summer Social, Friday, August 28th at 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Join WALA members, volunteer attorneys, artists and creatives of all kinds for a social/networking/mixer event at BloomBars! We’re raising money together to support two excellent organizations that are helping artists in our community: Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts and BloomBars.

Bring your business cards and network away! In addition, Sticky Fingers Bakery is generously donating delicious vegan fare and we’ll provide plenty of non-alcoholic refreshments.

To top it off, the amazing Nila Kay will be performing an intimate set- Check her out in the video below.

RSVP Now to make your donation online!

Nila Kay speaks a musical language that blends acoustic pop with funky neo-soul to create her own avant-garde dialect. While her sounds may be hard to define and her compositions difficult to conveniently box into a single genre, her passion is straight up.

Check her out below, rehearsing with Resident Artist-in-Bloom Terrence Cunningham:

Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:00 pm – See The Cornel West Theory prep for their upcoming show!

The Cornel West Theory is headlining at the Poetry in the Park festival, this Saturday at Carter Barron Amphitheater.

You can also come check out their open rehearsal at BloomBars on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 to 11 pm! The suggested donation of $10 goes towards supporting Bloombars and keeping costs low for musicians to access its space for rehearsals like this one.

About the Cornel West Theory

The Cornel West Theory is a Washington, D.C. based hip-hop band. With the blessing of Dr. Cornel West, the Princeton University professor and renowned author, the band takes its name from his prolific writings and philosophies that have shaped contemporary thought throughout the world.

Inspired by the rich musical history of the nation’s capital and the struggles of poor people worldwide, the band was created in 2004 as a response to social oppression everywhere. They are here to deliver music that holds a mirror up to the world, with a core focus on political, cultural and spiritual commentary.

The band’s purpose is to speak the truth to the masses, while communicating to young and old alike. They create soulful music that entertains, informs, educates and provokes awareness and activism. Their sound, filled with drums, bass, piano, and electronic sounds, contains elements of all great music – from home grown Go-Go to jazz to rock to hip-hop.

Their music is rooted in hip-hop, but that single genre does not define the range and variety of the musicians in the group. Winners of the 2008 Washington Area Music Awards Wammie for Best Hip-Hop duo or group, the Cornel West theory released its debut album “Second Rome” in September 2009.

Check out DCist’s recent interview with the band for the latest update.

The first Tuesday of every month is Mind Power, a two-hour freestyle obstacle course open to MCs, producers, poets and singers who wish to sharpen their ability to spontaneously create while helping to unify a gifted music and freestyle community looking for space to be embraced.

During this workshop, different exercises are given as challenges to the group by the new host, Flex Matthews. As the exercises are introduced, every participant takes his/her turn at freestyling about the given topic or exercise.

• • • • • • • • • Date: Starting September 7th, then Every First Tuesday of Every Month
                • Time: 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm
                • Cost: $10 Suggested Donation
                • RSVP on Facebook

Tuesday, August 24th at 6:30 pm

This Tuesday, BloomScreen Presents: MOSA (2010, 15min) By Ana Moreno

This narrative film explores a young woman’s struggle after being a victim of “corrective rape.” A common practice in South Africa, lesbian women are constantly raped with the belief that they will be cured from homosexuality. After running away to London, Mosa takes on new opportunities to start a new life but after feeling objectified once again, she breaks through and finally decides to live on her own terms.

Before and after the film, we will have an open discussion for the audience with the filmmaker herself, Ana Moreno, appearing live via Skype Video to answer questions and talk further about her film.  Although not at BloomBars in person, the audience will have the opportunity to talk to and interact with the filmmaker in real time.

Website: MOSA
Date: Tuesday, August 24th
Time: 6:30 pm
Suggested Donation: $10
RSVP on Facebook!

View the Trailer:

About BloomScreen Indie Film Night:

Each week, join fellow film buffs for a screening followed by a discussion with talking points about the film. We’re also working to bring in filmmakers, directors, and subject matter experts whenever possible to aid in discussions and answer your questions.

BloomBars is a donation-based organization. The suggested donation for this event is $10.

Have a suggestion for a film? Know a local filmmaker who wants to screen their work? Want to lend a hand? Email julie@bloombars.com with your suggestions.

The Garden blooms every Monday night with music, poetry, comedy, dance, storytelling. Let’s welcome our hometown heroes with same amazing energy The Garden is known to give every Monday night at BloomBars.

SPECIAL DOUBLE FEATURE this week: Hope Leigh Rollins and A Road Less Traveled
Signup list opens at 8:30
Show starts at 9
Suggested donation of $10
Hosted by Jonathan B. Tucker
RSVP on Facebook

See you Monday!
You bloom. We bloom.

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 befre 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.

Preview Hope Leigh Rollins’ Music at her website.

About A Road Less Traveled:

A Road Less Traveled is a collective of hip-hop puritans with a common focus, a common vision,and a common goal. All three members are from DC’s Ward 7, east of the river. Their album, 4Ward, is complete and ready for mass consumption, and ARLT is ready to go on tour to promote it.

Possessing uncanny and uncompromising skills ARLT is able to deliver hip-hop music that is reflective of its chemistry, synergy, and champion-like-moxie. Refreshing, informative, insightful and classic yet futuristic, ARLT’s debut album, 4Ward, is sure to please any hip-hop fan who hungers for the real.

Here’s a look at this weekend’s upcoming events. Join the BloomBars Facebook page to receive advance invites and join our community of BloomBars supporters!

Friday:

• noon:30 and Via Motive – 8:00 pm.

Saturday:

• Yoga at 10:00 am – 11:00 am
• Columbia Heights Community MarketPlace: Featuring Capoeria at 11:00 am, and freestylers & percussion at 12 pm.

Sunday:

• Pilates at 10:00 am – 11:00 am
• Volunteer Orientation, 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Please email nilanga@bloombars.com if you’d like to attend.
• African Drumming Class & Drum Circle at 1:00 – 2:00 pm.
• Note: No “Seed the Sound” on 8/22, while our host, Terrence Cunningham, is in South Africa.