WETA Arts: April 2021

Stay Connected: Feast Your Ears: The Story of WHFS 102.3 FM is coming soon and is produced by Media Central. Click here to learn more about the film and the history of WHFS. You can also follow the film on Facebook to get updates on its release, and read stories celebrating the impact of WHFS on the community. 

A Deeper Dive: For more about WHFS, you can check out WETA’s Boundary Stones blog, which tracks the rise and fall of the historic station.

Get Involved: Coyaba Dance Theater provides performances and educational opportunities in West African dances and cultures as part of Dance Place. If you want to sign up for a West African dance class, you can look for Sylvia Soumah’s weekly Thursday night session for adults, or get your kids moving with one of their youth classes. Soumah is also organizing the 33rd Annual DanceAfrica festival, which will take place this summer.

Learn More: Coyaba is part of a long lineage of Black dance groups in the D.C. area. African dance has a huge influence on many American cultural and musical traditions, which you can read in an article by Benna Crawford, a journalist who has been published in The New York Times and USA Today among others.

CraftOptimism: The 2021 CraftOptimism Show is an online marketplace featuring original work by some of the nation’s best artists, with a special focus on raising awareness for environmental issues. Each piece on display meets a number of sustainability requirements, and the show runs from April 24-May 1.

A History of Philanthropy: The Smithsonian Women’s Committee has raised millions in grant funding for a variety of causes, from education, research, conservation and more. Learn more about the committee, their signature events, and the causes they support. One of the grant recipients, the Mpala Research Center, sponsors a live camera feed that provides around-the-clock access into the daily lives of elephants, zebras, hippos, and more!

Bold Steps: Signature Theatre’s 2021 season is a series of performances filmed for online viewing. Signature is committed to developing theater careers with their SigWorks program, which offers opportunities including weekly play readings, writers’ grants, and directing workshops.

Online Education: Signature offers an array of virtual education opportunities such as masterclasses, workshops, private lessons, and more.