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Family Art Moments (FAM) is Washington Performing Arts’s first series dedicated to family programming! Geared towards kids ages 5-8 (with younger siblings welcome!), FAM is full of interactive activities from Washington Performing Arts Teaching Artists, Storytime book readings, coloring and activity pages, dancing, singing, creating, performing, and more.

Combining the magic of performance with the value of the classroom experience, FAM aims to provide an engaging, educational, and entertaining access point to diverse art forms for children and their parents. Join the FAM and explore the range of programs below!

Summer 2022

Family Art Moments (FAM) were live and in-person for the first time at venues throughout the D.C. Metro Area! Explore a variety of art forms including singing, music-making, dance, and theatre in a relaxed environment for families and kids of all ages. These free shows will run from July to August 2022. Click below to view individual event pages for registration and venue policies/information—We can’t wait to see you there!

Shine Your Light! with Karin Paludan

Shine Your Light! with Karin Paludan
Wed, Jul 20, 1:30pm
Busboys and Poets (14th & V)
Discover how to shine your light and change the world through the power of your voice with soprano Karin Paludan! Ready, set, shine!

Making Music in Nature with Wendy Lanxner and Penny Russell

Making Music in Nature with Wendy Lanxner and Penny Russell
Wed, Jul 27, 11am
Franklin Park
Join Wendy and Penny for nature-inspired rhythm games, songwriting, and singalong, where special guest puppets will help guide your journey to observe your surroundings and use your senses for music-making inspiration!

Family Art Moments - ArtStream Summer Cabaret

ArtStream Summer Cabaret with ArtStream’s Inclusive Traveling Theater Troupe
Postponed
Imagination Stage, The Reeve Studio Theatre
Join the ArtStreamers for a Summer Cabaret event, showcasing kid-friendly songs, dances, scenes, and more from their 2021-2022 season!

FAM - Propelling Voice with ReVision Dance Company

Propelling Voice with ReVision Dance Company
Sat, Sep 10, 11am
Dance Place
Experience contemporary modern dance company, ReVision, in this family-friendly, interactive work, focused on themes of individuality, community, and support!

Finding Rhythm: Grow Your Brain with Go-go Music

Finding Rhythm: Grow Your Brain with Go-go Music
Sat, Oct 29, 11 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.
Kennedy Center Family Theater
Take a journey through the musical brain with Mother Dance, Father Rhythm, and the Curious Scientist! D.C.’s own Go-go music and brain science come together for this lively show that’ll have kids singing and dancing to the beat.

Summer 2021

This summer, Family Art Moments (FAM) is your passport for a trip around the world! Sing, dance, read, play, and learn on your journey as Washington Performing Arts Teaching Artists and their special guests perform in engaging video programs. Pack your bags, and we’ll travel from our home in Washington, D.C. to Europe, Africa, Canada, and India. Through your adventure, you will learn about the music, stories, and languages of many countries and cultures. Don’t forget the downloadable activity pages for each video, as well as the packing and reading list to keep the adventure going!

Washington, D.C.

Literacy Through Art

Literacy Through Art
Thursday, July 22

Explore letters and sounds (and our nation’s capital) through performing and visual arts with Carla Perlo and her team—plus an activity page!

Europe

2 Divas on a European Vacation

2 Divas on a European Vacation
Thursday, July 29

Travel to France, Italy, Spain, and Austria through song with Karin Paludan and Marissa Regni—plus an activity page!

Africa

Exploring Africa with Sylvia Soumah

Exploring Africa with Sylvia Soumah
Thursday, August 5

Trek through several regions of Africa with the music and movement of Sylvia Soumah of Coyaba Dance Theatre—plus an activity page!

Québec

Visiting Québec with Arianna Ross and Veronneau

Visiting Québec with Arianna Ross of Story Tapestries and Veronneau
Thursday, August 12

Join Arianna Ross of Story Tapestries on a musical adventure to Canada, featuring performances by Québec duo Veronneau—plus an activity page!

India

Travel to India with Kalanidhi Dance Company

Travel to India with Kalanidhi Dance Company
Thursday, August 19

Dance your way to India and learn about Kuchipudi dance with Kalanidhi Dance Company—plus an activity page!

 

Spring 2021

This spring, get moving, singing, playing, and performing as Washington Performing Arts Teaching Artists and Home Delivery Plus Headline Artists team up for Family Art Moments (FAM)! Learn the basics of tap and ballet, discover how a piano makes music, and use your voice to shine your light—all while enjoying engaging performances, downloadable activity pages, and recommended reading lists.

Karin Paludan and J'Nai Bridges

Karin Paludan
with J’Nai Bridges

Wednesday, April 14

Use your voice to shine your light with Karin Paludan and special guest J’Nai Bridges—plus activity pages and recommended reading!

Jenny Lin

Jenny Lin
Tuesday, April 27

Get an up-close look at how a piano makes music with renowned pianist Jenny Lin—plus activity pages and recommended reading.

Company E and Ballet Folklórico

Company E
with Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández

Tuesday, May 4

Learn the basics of ballet and perform choreography with Company E—plus an appearance by Ballet Folklórico de México, activity pages, and recommended reading.

Footworks and Brinae Ali

Footworks Percussive
Dance Ensemble
with Brinae Ali

Tuesday, May 11

Get moving and learn the basics of tap dancing with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble and special guest Brinae Ali—plus activity pages and recommended reading.

Support for Family Art Moments in 2021 is provided by Pepco, An Exelon Company, and the Québec Government Office in Washington.

Pepco, An Exelon Company

Québec Government Office in Washington

 

Summer 2020

Discover your own superpowers, travel to Latin America and West Africa, make your own books, and so much more! Made for online enjoyment, the summer 2020 FAM programming includes engaging instruction and performance videos from featured teaching artists, Storytime book readings from series partner Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, and downloadable coloring and activity pages to keep the fun going offline. Get the full scoop on the summer 2020 series or dive right in.

Shake Your Bones

Shake Your Bones
with Cantaré

Learn about instruments and music from Latin America with Cantaré—plus, bilingual Storytime and Coloring Pages!

Giggling, Wiggling, Book Worm: Stories, Myths, and Legends

Giggling, Wiggling, Book Worm: Stories, Myths, and Legends
Travel around the world with Arianna Ross from Story Tapestries, and continue your adventure with a Storytime and Coloring Page!

FAM - Singing is Your Superpower

Singing is Your Superpower
Celebrate the power of your own voice with Karin Paludan—follow along with Activity Pages and a Storytime!

FAM - Beats and Rhymes with Mr. Root

Beats And Rhymes with Mr. Root
Learn about Hip Hop and beatboxing with Jamaal ‘Mr. Root’ Collier from Story Tapestries—plus Storytime and more!

FAM - Bookmaking Workshop

Bookmaking Workshop
Create your own book using household materials with Karen O. Brown—plus Storytime and more!

FAM - Visit Africa

Visit Africa
Travel to West Africa through electrifying dances and rhythms with KanKouran West African Dance Company—plus Storytime and more!

 

Performances related to Washington Performing Arts’s education programs are made possible by Jacqueline Badger Mars and Mars, Incorporated.

Education programs at Washington Performing Arts are made possible in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities; U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs Program; The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Park Foundation, Inc.; Mr. Bruce Rosenblum and Ms. Lori Laitman; Mr. Tom Gallagher; Mary Jo Veverka; Events DC; Her Excellency Shaikha Aisha AlKhalifa, Spouse of the Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain; Prince Charitable Trusts; Verizon Washington, D.C.; Mr. Peter Buscemi and Ms. Judith Miller; The Estate of Josephine S. Huang, Ph.D.; Anonymous; The Greene-Milstein Family Foundation; Dr. J. Stephen and Mrs. Kathryn Jones; Mr. and Mrs. Sherman E. Katz, Esq.; Nancy Peery Marriott Foundation; Mr. James J. Sandman and Ms. Elizabeth D. Mullin; Linda and Isaac Stern Charitable Foundation, in memory of Isaac Stern; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; Mr. and Mrs. Brian Coulter; Dimick Foundation; Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman; Dr. Robert Misbin; Pepco, An Exelon Company; Québec Government Office in Washington; and George Wasserman Family Foundation, Inc.

Includes gifts of $5,000 and above as of June 24, 2021.

Mars

DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities