Carolyn Landes • June 22, 2015

Just south of Dupont Circle, Nava Health and Vitality Center’s new 1800 M St. NW location opened May 15. It’s the third of Nava’s integrative medical centers, joining those currently open in Chevy Chase and Columbia, Maryland. The location’s official grandopening celebration will be held June 17.

Established in 2014, Nava uses a unique integrative approach to health and wellness. All under one roof, each Nava location seeks to treat the individual as a whole, not as a group of symptoms. The new M Street center offers a soothing, modern and tranquil environment for patrons, designed in neutral tones that have an immediate calming effect upon crossing the threshold.

“By bringing our integrative approach to health to new audiences within the D.C. area, we’re offering alternative practices that most people haven’t been exposed to before. And we do it in concert with their physician,” said Bernie Dancel, founder of Nava Health and Vitality Center and CEO of parent company Ascend One Corp.

“In looking for new retail locations, we want to be in markets that have a high population of health-conscious individuals who know that wellness is more than just the status quo. It’s about understanding your body and feeling your best at any age,” he said.

Nava’s medical protocol draws from Eastern, Western and alternative methods, with a foundation grounded in science and developed from years of clinical experience and proven principles. Service offerings include sports performance and recovery therapies and treating the effects of aging — all of which work holistically to help resolve client issues such as weight gain, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, chronic pain, digestive issues and low sex drive.

“We believe people should know exactly what’s going on with their bodies and be provided with a personalized roadmap to feeling their best,” said Dancel. “We know what we’re doing works, and now our clients are seeing it too.”

It would appear that Dancel is correct, as the brand plans to add a fourth area location in Rockville, Maryland, later this summer. Nava is exploring additional locations in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, along with an expansion into the Florida market.
[gallery ids="102111,133815,133816" nav="thumbs"]

Carolyn Landes • June 11, 2015

The Kennedy Center received “The Blue Star of Life,” a porcelain artwork from Japan, during a May 29 ceremony held in the Terrace Theater of the Center, marking the longstanding relationship between the Kennedy Center and the people of Japan. The dedication ceremony honored the occasion of the 160th Anniversary of the Japan-U.S. Treaty of Peace and Amity, as well as the anniversary of the birth of President John F. Kennedy.

“The Blue Star of Life,” a globe-shaped, porcelain vase of considerable dimensions, was accepted and unveiled by Deborah Rutter, president of the Kennedy Center, and others, including Ambassador Yoshio Karita, chairman of the Blue Star of Life delegation.

Japan has given other gifts to the Kennedy Center. As a gift to mark the 1971 opening of the arts memorial to President Kennedy, Japan presented the 3,000-pound, red and gold, silk curtain for the center’s Opera House stage. In 1975, Japanese Prime Minister Miki presented President Gerald Ford with the funds to build the Terrace Theater as a Bicentennial gift from the people of Japan to the United States.

Remarks were made during the ceremony by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kristie Kenney and Japanese Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae as well as by students from Georgetown University and Keio University. Karita poetically likened the delicateness of the porcelain vase to the fragility of world relations.

Students representing Japan and the United States, including students from Sidwell Friends School and Georgetown University, participated in a “Pebble Drop” ceremony, during which a small satchel of pebbles was dropped into the belly of the vase. Since stone in Japanese is “ishi,” phonetically the same as “will” in Japanese, the pebbles symbolized the will of the world to seek peace and conserve the environment.

A special message from Ambassador Caroline Kennedy was read by a representative of the United States Embassy in Japan, expressing Kennedy’s gratitude for the gift. “The symbolism of the vase captures the best values, hopes and dreams of the American and Japanese peoples,” Kennedy’s note read. “I look forward to being able to drop my own pebble in the vase during my next visit to the Kennedy Center.”

Following the dedication ceremony, a brief reception was held on the Terrace level during which a toast led by student Jack Hannah of Sidwell Friends School was made. Hannah talked about his recent trip to Japan and the lasting impact the new relationships he forged while there have had on him. “Friendship is important,” said Hannah, becoming a bit misty-eyed as he alluded to the significance of strong international relations. “It makes things better for everyone, everywhere.” The group of American and Japanese dignitaries gathered around Hannah emitted a rousing cheers, appreciative of his sentiment.

On the anniversary of the birth of one of America’s most beloved presidents, who emphasized the importance of international peace and development, inside the halls created as a living memorial to his life, friendship was, indeed, alive and well.
[gallery ids="117592,117608,117614,117598,117604" nav="thumbs"]

Carolyn Landes • June 10, 2015

Around 500 of the city’s most philanthropic glitterati gathered May 20 at Tudor Place in Georgetown for the Historic House and Garden’s 23rd Annual Spring Garden Party. This year’s social event was chaired by Elizabeth Powell of Georgetown.

Under an expansive, luminous, white tent surrounded by pristine gardens and an immaculately manicured lawn, guests gathered to celebrate and honor longtime leader and supporter of Tudor Place, Ellen MacNeille Charles, who was given a surprise horse-drawn carriage ride from her 31st Street home to Tudor Place, just up the street.

Charles, a board president emeritus, has made a lasting impact on Tudor Place over the years through her leadership, advocacy and special blend of experience, wisdom and good humor. She was presented with an engraved cup and artwork and gave a gracious speech, thanking attendees for their patronage of Tudor Place.

Interests that inform the life of Charles were woven into the party scene: tablecloths were chocolate brown and white to reflect the racing silks of Charles’s Hillwood Stable, the topiary showed her love of dogs (and show dogs), one cocktail was called BandBox in honor of her racing horse. The Foxcroft Chorale from Charles’s alma mater during the evening.

At the presentation, it was announced that the garden party helped to raise more than $300,000 for one of Georgetown’s crown jewels, as Tudor Place itself was bathed in artful lighting.

Party patrons mingled, sipping mint juleps and tasting light bites, including lamb chops and salmon. In the crowd of prominent Washingtonians and guests from around the country and abroad, ambassadors, architects, business leaders, community leaders and neighbors were dressed to the nines in their garden-party best.

Through its education programs, Tudor Place’s rich heritage provides a living classroom for subjects including American history, the environment and architecture for more than 3,000 school children every year in D.C. and the surrounding areas.
[gallery ids="102086,134278,134275,134271,134267,134263,134259,134255,134251,134247,134243,134235,134239,134281,134284" nav="thumbs"]