VelocityDC

Wow, just wow. Go see it! All the dancers were amazing, so much talent. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I enjoyed every performance and really appreciated the work that was put into each set.

VelocityDC is AWESOME. I highly recommend it for anyone that’s a dance fan and actually for anyone who is even remotely interested in checking out dance. First it’s $ 18 for any seat and you really cannot beat that! It’s at Shakespheare Harmon Theatre so beautiful, convenient space.
I just LOVE that you can see all kinds of dance in one evening. There was step, ballet, african, flamenco, modern… It was truly fantastic. It’s really nice because you can check out a lot of different companies at once and then go see more performances of the ones you really liked.
BRAVO to Harmon Center for hosting. Fabulous event!

I always knew that I loved to dance, to move my feet with a passion, and let the music invigorate me. But I never really thought about watching other people do it, and certainly not professionally. Then about four years ago the girl I was dating at the time got me hooked on the show So You Think You Can Dance, which happened to be on its fourth season. From then on my eyes were opened to a whole new art form, one that I’ve grown increasingly fond of ever since. DC unfortunately has a shortage of outlets for taking in great dance performances, but once a year some of the best artists from the area gather at VelocityDC to showcase their talents at an incredibly reasonable price of $ 18 per attendee.
This was my second year attending and the program was almost entirely different than when I came two years ago. While the acts vary on each of the nights that it’s going on, The Washington Ballet Studio Company is almost always the «feature» performance, unless you come on the last day when they showcase a few other companies, but this year’s routines seemed a bit shorter than before… unfortunate since they really are spectacular, but it allowed some additional time for more acts. The previous show I attended they did five dance routines all set to familiar Beck songs, a curious choice, but one which actually worked quite well. This year was a bit of a contrast, using three great blues songs as the backdrop for a bit more serious piece.
Where else in DC can you see contemporary ballet squeezed in between tap dance, Flamenco, Bharatanrityam (the real reason I chose this performance, since Suzy has experience with several Bhangra dance styles), and African jazz, along with half a dozen other styles? If it exists in another place I’ve yet to find it. Even during the intermission there was a staged-​impromptu break dance battle out in the mezzanine. Everyone involved in the production of VelocityDC truly loves what they do and it shows.
Add to the event that it’s held in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s relatively new performing stage at the beautiful Sidney Harmon Hall and you’ve got a value that is difficult to surpass in this city for entertainment. We even got an unexpected treat during our recent attendance in the form of a surprise proposal by one of the audience members, and after she said yes they were showered with a standing ovation from the crowd and weeping eyes all around. This is the kind of magic this event inspires.