The DC Lineup for this weekend: Zen, zines and zingers

Stretching your mind and body and supporting local communities are themes for this week’s DC Lineup, July 17 to 19.

The weekend weather will be mixed, with scattered thunderstorms on Friday evening, yielding to mostly sunny skies on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures will range from 74 to 98, according to the forecast.

1. Recreation: Get your Zen on during an outdoor yoga class at the Kennedy Center on Saturday morning. Hosted by Hikyoga DC, a yoga practice that takes classes outside and blends hiking and yoga, the hourlong Vinyasa flow will take place on the grassy grounds of the arts center. Participants will be socially distanced, and are asked to bring a mat or towel and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Yogis are also asked to bring a mask, although it does not need to be worn during class. Tickets are $16 for one or $29 for two. Check-in is at 8:50 a.m., at 2700 F St. NW; the class is on rain or shine, but in the event of severe weather it will be rescheduled.

2. Community: Support Black-owned businesses at the Buy Melanin Expo on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. The digital marketplace features a curated selection of businesses, and host DJ Bo Weezy will entertain you as you shop from home. Buy Melanin’s mission is to build community, cultivate entrepreneurship and raise awareness of Black-owned businesses. The virtual market will take place on Facebook Live.

3. Writing: DC Zinefest is hosting its Zirtual Zummer Zine Zelebration on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The free full-day event features panels, workshops and online tables from favorite returning and new zinesters, according to its description. Topics include crafting comics, unique zine structures, and how to start a zine. The summer celebration is in lieu of the group’s 10th annual zinefest, which it hopes to hold in person later this year. Registration is required to receive the fest’s Zoom link.

4. Film: The National Museum of Asian Art’s 25th annual Made in Hong Kong film festival continues this weekend. Co-presented by the Smithsonian and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the free event offers six films that can be streamed online, from thrillers to feel-good stories. A live online Q&A with A Witness Out of the Blue director Andrew Fung, whose film can be streamed through July 24, takes place Sunday at 1 p.m. on Zoom.

5. Music: What makes a piece of music French? Find out when Perfect Octave’s curator Andrew Welch explores “The Special Je Ne Sais Quoi of ‘French’ Piano Music” on Sunday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Presented by the Hill Center with support from HumanitiesDC, the piano recital will explore French sounds in music and feature Bach’s final French Suite in E major, Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque and Respighi’s Tre Preludi Sopra Melodie Gregoriane, as well as shorter works by three composers of diverse nationalities, according to the event’s description. Tickets cost $14. The recital, which will be streamed on a private YouTube Live link, includes an audience Q&A and a discussion with the Hill Center’s Charlotte Harper. Registration includes a recording of the performance.

6. Film: In collaboration with Irish arts organization Solas Nua, the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center is screening the 2014 documentary Blood Rising through Sunday. The film by Mark McLoughlin documents the stories of femicide victims and their families in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, through the paintings of Brian Maguire (whose work is featured in the American University Museum’s online exhibition Without Borders). Described by Solas Nua as a “celebration of beauty through art and a revelation of the power of the human spirit to rise out of the most extreme and destructive situations,” the narrative centers around two pairs of mothers and daughters and their journeys for justice. Registration is free but must be submitted before 5 p.m. Friday to receive the private Vimeo link.

7. Culture: TEDxPearlStreet is hosting its inaugural event of never-before-seen TED Talks on Saturday. The virtual all-day session will feature more than 20 speakers who will discuss the theme “leading change.” Organizers say that “together we’ll explore the bold ideas that can help us uplift our communities, build bridges across sectors, and energize us to welcome new technologies and social norms with open minds as we begin our journey into the future.” The event kicks off at 9 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m.; however, a private online broadcast will be available for one week. Tickets range in cost from $25 for an individual pass to $500 to become a TEDxPearlStreet sponsor.

8. Environment: Anacostia Riverkeeper is hosting a clean waterways virtual cleanup Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Participants can pick up trash in their neighborhoods, in local parks and along the Anacostia River. The cleanup activity helps the environmental nonprofit reach its goal of making the river clean, swimmable and fishable. In 2019, Anacostia Riverkeeper and volunteers collected 13,500 pounds of trash, according to its website. The organization asks participants to document what they collected via a Google form on the event’s registration page. Additional virtual cleanup days will be held in August and September. 

9. Recreation: Learn the ropes of double Dutch through an energizing fitness workshop on Saturday afternoon. Brought to you by Double Dutch Events in DC and DC Retro Jumpers, the outdoor event is open to all ages and abilities. Participants can create double Dutch chants and affirmations and “get your jump on,” according to the event’s description. The free workshop runs from 2 to 5 p.m. at Culture Coffee Too, 300 Riggs Road NE.

10. Community: Get answers to legal questions at a monthly clinic Saturday morning. Hosted by Christian Legal Aid of the District of Columbia, the virtual event from 10 a.m. to noon features legal clinic volunteers who can help with housing, expungements and elder law, among other issues. To make an appointment, call 202-710-0592 or email info@christianlegalaid-dc.org. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the online clinic replaces the previous monthly series held in partnership with the National Community Church at the DC Dream Center. Virtual clinics also take place on the second Friday and the last Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon, replacing the events previously held at the Central Union Mission.

This post has been updated to clarify that the clinic being held by Christian Legal Aid of the District of Columbia is an online event.