Robert Devaney • May 2, 2013

A unique dance theater premieres “Once Wild: Isadora in Russia” at Georgetown University May 3. Its multi-disciplinary outlook seems infectious as different kinds of people have come together to make the debut a success, as if moved by the spirit of Isadora Duncan.

To celebrate the opening, raise some funds and get the word out, an April 20 benefit was held at the home of Colman and Richard Riddell with neighborhood boosters along with members of the performing and visual arts communities. It was unique in itself with Word Dance Theater founder Cynthia Word performing for the guests and sculptor Claire McArdle offering her art for auction to assist the group.

The innovative performing arts company Word Dance Theater joins forces with Georgetown University’s Davis Performing Arts Center and award-­winning stage director Derek Goldman to produce the multi-­disciplinary theatrical collaboration, “Once Wild: Isadora in Russia.” Written by Helen Hayes Award-­winning playwright Norman Allen with original music by renowned composer Dominik Maican, and choreography by Cynthia Word (“Preludes: Duncan, Sand and Chopin”), “Once Wild” steps across creative boundaries to offer a bold, new vision of seminal artist Isadora Duncan, her work and her years in Bolshevik Russia.

The storyline: At the invitation of the Bolshevik government, Isadora Duncan and her adopted daughter Irma arrive in Russia determined to ignite its children’s minds and bodies through a new school of dance. Immersed in the revolutionary spirit, Duncan created some of her most groundbreaking work and faced some of her greatest personal challenges. Seen through Irma’s eyes, “Once Wild” explores Duncan’s Russian years, her romance with poet Sergei Esenin and her lasting legacy.

The central role of Irma Duncan, Isadora’s adopted daughter, will be shared by actress Kimberly Schraf and dancer Ingrid Zimmer. Philip Fletcher, known for his work with Synetic Theater, portrays volatile Russian poet Sergei Esenin, and Cynthia Word dances the lead role of Isadora.

“Isadora Duncan changed forever the way we think about dance and, thus, the way we think about theater,” playwright Allen said. “She broke the rules. It’s exciting to be immersed in a creative process that attempt to do the same.

“Cross-­discipline work breaks through the isolation of individual art-­forms. It challenges even the most collaborative of artists to work with unfamiliar tools, and to communicate with new artistic vocabularies,” choreographer Word said. “Because of the challenges inherent in the process, cross-­discipline work is also extraordinarily rich in possibility. It reflects a broader shift of consciousness toward global thinking, conflict resolution and problem solving that we feel throughout the culture. Perhaps most important, the work models our own belief in the capacity of the human spirit to be continuously reborn through hacks of creation.”

“The piece we are creating speaks to the connection between individual artistic vision and global politics,” said director Goldman. “By introducing us to Irma Duncan, one of Isadora’s disciples and adopted daughters, the piece engages questions about teaching, memory and revolution — and about how personal and artistic legacies are passed on from generation to generation, particularly in the ephemeral art form of performance.”

“Once Wild: Isadora in Russia,” co-­produced by Word Dance Theater and Georgetown University’s Davis Performing Arts Center Performance (Gonda Theatre), Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4 at 8 p.m., Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m. 37th & O Streets, NW. Tickets: $25, general; $18. faculty, staff, alumni, senior; $10, student. For tickets, visit performingarts.georgetown.edu — or call 202-687-­ARTS-2787. (Post-­performance reception on May 3 and discussion with artists on May 4.) [gallery ids="101273,148510,148481,148505,148487,148498,148494" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • May 1, 2013

W.T. Weaver & Sons owner Jim Weaver, 81, died April 24 at Georgetown University Hospital of complications from kidney cancer.

Founded in 1889, W.T. Weaver & Sons opened as a hardware store and is a fourth-generation Washington, D.C., business, providing ornamental hardware and other high-end household fixtures for residential and commercial projects and serving architects, designers, contractors and homeowners. It is located at 1208 Wisconsin Ave., NW.

A wake for Jim Weaver will take place, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., April 30 at National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Va. A 11 a.m. memorial service is planned for May 1 at St. Luke’s Catholic Church, 7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean, Va. A private burial is set at Oak Hill Cemetery on R Street.

Speaking of his father, Mike Weaver who runs the business with his brother Bryce, said, “He loved everything about Georgetown.”

Retired Georgetowner publisher David Roffman learned of Weaver’s passing and had this to say about his friend: “Jim was a longtime champion of the mercantile interests of Georgetown, having served for years on the board of directors of the Georgetown Business Association. He is fondly remembered for almost single-handedly — along with Tim Jackson of Swensen’s Ice Cream Parlor and Arnie Passman of the Georgetown Lamp Gallery — organizing and staging the wonderful Georgetown parades that were held each September as part of the Francis Scott Key Star-Spangled Banner Celebration. Jim and his beautiful wife Peggy were always upbeat and cheerful and a delight to be around. I feel fortunate to have known him.”

The Georgetowner will update with additional details as they come it. Look for an appreciation in the May 8 Georgetowner. Visit the Citizens Association of Georgetown’s website — CAGtown.org/OralHistory — to read an interview of Jim Weaver.

Robert Devaney • April 25, 2013

“We look forward to working with Boston Outdoor Recreation as they continue on the tradition of providing a valuable service to visitors,” said the National Park Service’s Rock Creek Park Superintendent Tara Morrison said in a press release. “Visitors to the newly renamed Key Bridge Boathouse will find the same or similar services offered as before.”

With those words, Jack’s Boathouse is gone. The NPS awarded the new contract in March. “At some point, you can’t fight the Feds,” said Jack’s Boathouse owner Paul Simkin earlier this month. The new boathouse opened April 20. As for Boston Outdoor’s commitment to hire all of the old Jack’s Boathouse employees, that prom- ise appears to have hit a snag.

Meanwhile, the NPS continues its study of a new boating facility on Potomac in Georgetown.

The NPS states:
“The National Park Service is examining the feasibility of implementing a non-motorized boathouse zone along the District of Columbia’s side of the Potomac River waterfront upstream of the Georgetown Waterfront Park. This study represents an opportunity for the NPS to identify specific ways to enhance access to the river for user groups, as well as complement the riverside experiences provided by the Georgetown Waterfront Park and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. This is particularly challenging, given that there is limited space for and a high amount of demand.

“The NPS will be studying what structures and facilities can be accommodated within this non-motorized boathouse zone that are related to waterfront, access to the river, and are con- sistent with the necessary and appropriate uses for this zone. This study will lay the ground- work for future decision-making regarding (1) scenarios for development/improvement of NPS facilities and (2) further planning and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)/National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) compliance as necessary to implement the non-motorized boathouse zone.”

The NPS will host a public meeting on this study, May 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., May 22, at the West End Public Library, 1101 24th St., NW. For more information, contact: Tammy Stidham, National Capital Region at 202-619-7474 or tammy_stidham@nps.gov.

Robert Devaney •

A body was found floating in the Potomac April 17, west of Key Bridge. It was the fourth body found in the Potomac’s waters this month.

According to the Washington Post, “Wednesday’s discovery came about 12:20 p.m., when fire officials said two kayakers pulled the body of an adult male to the shore from a spot about 400 yards west of Key Bridge. Police went to the 3700 block of Water Street, NW, near the Washington Canoe Club. Authorities would not give additional details.” Observers feared that it might have been Changquing Yang, who was, according to the United States Park Police, “reported missing by his family and last seen on April at 11 a.m. on the bank (Maryland side) of the Potomac River in the area of Chain Bridge Road . . . was last known to be wearing a red sweater or jacket, a white t-shirt, and grey pants. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Chiangquing, please contact Detective Bumbray at United States Park Police Criminal Investigations Branch at 202-610-8730, reference Case #13-00145 or contact the United States Park Police Tip-Line at 202-610-8737.”

Robert Devaney •

The terrorist Boston Marathon bombings on April 15 were a horrific shock to those on the scene and across America. Our prayers are with the dead, maimed and injured. The racers will return.

For two Georgetowners, the marathon and its after-effects were personal and shocking, of course.

Marsha Ralls, a business leader and owner of the Ralls Collection, ran the race until its last miles just as the bombs went off.
“I was at Mile 22 and saw all the runner looking at their phones,” Ralls said. “That was unusual, to say the least. At Mile 23, they told us they would stop the race at Mile 24. I did not yet know there had been a bombing.”

“My first reaction to all this is anger and shock,” Ralls said. “I will go back in honor of those killed.”

For runners tired, but happy to be close to the finish, “it was emotional,” she said. “No one could reach me at first. I didn’t know anyone’s number. Next time, I will have my boys’ numbers on me. My friends were going to the finish line to meet me.”
It was doubly emotional for Ralls, as she was running “for my mother and a little boy who died.”

The Boston Marathon is a race for elite runners. Ralls was stopped at Mile 24 with her time at 4:04. She is pictured at the top of Heartbreak Hill, about four miles from the finish line. Ralls plans to return for a third time to the marathon: “I am with you, Boston, and will be back next year.”

For Ryan Samuel, co-owner of Booeymonger’s on Prospect Street, the race was over in just over three hours. He had run with a friend, keeping his pace. The two were back in their hotel by the time of the bombing. Samuel, too, was angry and shocked but had no doubt the marathon would continue next year.

Robert Devaney •

Well, you have heard about the change and now it sounds official: replacing the longtime Third Edition, the Mexican restaurant El Centro will open its second D.C. location at 1218 Wisconsin Ave. NW, the former home of Third Edition, according to DC Eater. El Centro plans to open in June.

Robert Devaney •

The inaugural Nike Women Half Marathon, a race to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, will take place in Washington, D.C. April 28. More than 45,000 persons will visit Georgetown, April 25 through 27, as runners will bring along their friends and families to visit the Nike Women Half Marathon D.C. Expotique, hosted at Washington Harbour, and 3050 K St., NW. The Nike Women Race Series has helped to generate more than $128 million dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and provides a premium event experience that annually celebrates the strength, determination, and accomplishments of women worldwide. The check-in process and Expotique will close Thomas Jefferson Street, from M Street down past the C&O Canal.