MCC January 2024 Calendar of Events
County of Fairfax, Virginia
The McLean Community Center
1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean, Va. 22101
www.mcleancenter.org
Media Contact:
Sabrina Anwah, Director of Communications
703-790-0123, TTY: 711
sabrina.anwah@fairfaxcounty.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023
024-017
McLean Community Center Calendar of Events for January 2024
McLean, Va.— The McLean Community Center (MCC) offers the following activities in January 2024. Please check the center’s website, mcleancenter.org, for up-to-date information. Residents of the center’s tax district, Small District 1A-Dranesville, are eligible for discounts on fees. The center is located at 1234 Ingleside Ave.
Presented by The Alden
Foreign Language Film
“Kon-Tiki”
Thursday, Jan. 4, 1 p.m.
Free admission
Norway, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom. Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. Shown in Norwegian with English subtitles. A dramatized story of Thor Heyerdahl and his Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947. Heyerdahl, an ethnographer and explorer who was convinced that the Polynesian islands were colonized by pre-Columbian South Americans, sets out to prove his thesis by sailing on a balsa wood raft from Peru to the South Pacific. Rated PG-13. Oscar and Golden Globe award nominee.
Special Event
Winter Block Party
Saturday, Jan. 6, 1-4 p.m.
Free Admission
Join MCC for its 3rd Annual Winter Block Party. Participants will enjoy entertainment, games, food and a wide variety of outdoor amusements, crafts and more.
Presented by The Alden
Furia Flamenca “Navidad Flamenca”
Saturday, Jan. 6, 7 p.m.
$30/$25 seniors and students/$20 MCC district residents
Come celebrate the holidays the Spanish way by commemorating Día de Reyes (Epiphany). This festive program will take you on a journey of some of the merriest holiday traditions as celebrated in Spain and Puerto Rico. Enjoy an evening of Spanish holiday music and song (villancicos) alongside flamenco dancing.
Presented by The Alden
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Master Classes
“Creating the Universe from Within”
Sunday, Jan. 7
Noon: Beginner Class (for children)
2 p.m.: Intermediate Class (for children and teens)
4 p.m.: Advanced Class (for teens and adults)
$15 General admission/$12 seniors and students /$10 MCC district residents
Nai-Ni Chen’s “kinetic movement of the body” technique is a combination Qi-Going and Tai Chi, with modern dance movements. This “Kinetic Spiral” brings together the benefits of both eastern and western movement traditions for dancers and dancers-to-be. No matter the class level, students will be taught movement combinations from the Nai-Ni Chen repertory. Instructors are Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company leaders Greta Campo and Candace Jarvis.
Presented by The Alden
Foreign Language Film
“Kon-Tiki”
Wednesday, Jan. 10, 6:30 p.m.
Free admission
Rated PG-13. (Norway, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom; Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg); Shown in Norwegian with English subtitles. Oscar and Golden Globe nominee. A dramatized story of Thor Heyerdahl and his Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947. Heyerdahl, an ethnographer and explorer who was convinced that the Polynesian islands were colonized by pre-Columbian South Americans, sets out to prove his thesis by sailing on a balsa wood raft from Peru to the South Pacific.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Keynote Address
Michael Steele: “The Black Experience & The American Dream”
Saturday, Jan. 13, 4 p.m.
$30/$25 seniors/$20 MCC district residents
For all ages. Michael Steele made history as the first Black chairperson of the Republican National Committee. Mr. Steele will bring his perspective to engage us in a dialogue about the Black experience in the context of the American Dream, unflinchingly taking on hard-hitting topics.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration
Calvin Earl “Music of the Civil Rights Movement”
Sunday, Jan. 14, 2 p.m.
$10/$7 seniors/$5 MCC district residents
For all ages. As a singer/songwriter/guitarist/storyteller and activist Calvin Earl highlights our collective human story with music intending to bring us to a better understanding of who we are, in the context of our American story. Join us in an uplifting class on the music of the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. Change is inevitable. Music helps us though that change and helps us together imagine our lives beyond who we are and what we know, into who we will become.
Closing Notice
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, Jan. 15
McLean Community Center and the Old Firehouse Center will be closed on Monday, Jan. 15 for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
Presented by The Alden
Performing Arts Movie
“Stop Making Sense”
Thursday, Jan. 18, 1 p.m.
Free admission
A film by Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads. Considered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time, the live performance was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December of 1983 and features Talking Heads’ most memorable songs. Rated PG.
The Old Firehouse, 5th & 6th Grader Dance
Snowball Dance
Friday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m.
1440 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, Va. 22101
$35/$25 MCC district residents. Preregistration is recommended.
The Old Firehouse 5th & 6th Grader Parties are themed and decorated accordingly. Partygoers can enjoy free catered food and beverages, a DJ spinning the latest tunes, an open dance floor and a variety of other attractions and activities.
Presented by The Alden
“The Never Too Late Show” starring Don Reed
Saturday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m.
$30/$25 seniors/$20 MCC district residents
A multimedia one-man show written, performed and directed by Don Reed. Produced by Don Reed and Pat Hazell. Don Reed presents an inspirational, multi-character comic tale about never giving up. Both hilarious and heartbreaking, it chronicles his travails and perseverance through the Hollywood gauntlet to late night TV. A journey full of laughter, deceit and ultimately vindication featuring classic footage from “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” The National Comedy Center, HBO and other programs.
Presented by The Alden, Chamber Music Series
Yvonne Chen, Piano “Music + Literature: Murakami Music”
Sunday, Jan. 21, 2 p.m.
$10/$7 seniors/$5 MCC district residents
A devoted chamber musician and imaginative soloist, Pianist Yvonne Chen has been pushing the limits for pianists of the 21st century.
Presented by The Alden
“The Many Disguises of Robin Hood” Youth Auditions
Tuesday & Wednesday, Jan. 23 & 24, 7-9 p.m.
Call Backs (by appointment only): Thursday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m.
The spring show is The Alden’s only self-produced production of the year. Actors must be residents of Dranesville Small District 1A and be 10 to 16 years old at the time of their audition. Actors will be asked to read from the script and perform improv games. Sample scripts will be available 20 minutes prior to audition times. For more information or to register, visit aldentheatre.org.
MCC Governing Board
January Board Meeting
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m.
All Governing Board meetings are open to the public.
Tax district residents (Small District One A-Dranesville) who wish to speak during the “Citizen Comment” portion of the meeting are asked to call the Center at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, to be laced on the agenda.
The Old Firehouse Teacher Workday Trip
Skiing/Snowboarding/Tubing
Friday, Jan. 26, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
1440 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, Va. 22101
$90/$80 MCC district residents
Hit the slopes with the Old Firehouse. Each admission includes a learn to ski/snowboard package. Not interested in skiing? Grab your inner tube and slide down the mountain. Admission to all activities is included in the fee. Bring $20 for lunch and additional funds to purchase souvenirs and/or snacks as desired.
Macdonald Performing Arts Scholarship Competition
Application Deadline Friday, Jan. 26, 2024
Annually, the McLean Community Center recognizes the hard work and talent of young performing artists through the James C. Macdonald Performing Arts Scholarship Competition. Following a preliminary round and final round of competition, three prizes (1st - $1,200; 2nd - $800, and 3rd - $400) are awarded in each of four categories: Dance, Theater, Instrumental Music and Vocal Music. High school students who reside in or go to school in the Small District 1A-Dranesville are eligible to apply. Students may enter more than one category but must apply for each. A nonrefundable, $20 fee is required for each application.
For more information, call MCC at 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or visit www.mcleancenter.org. For Old Firehouse activities, call 703-448-8336. For The Alden Box Office, call 703-790-9223.
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The McLean Community Center, an agency of Fairfax County Government, is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all programs, services and activities. We will provide reasonable accommodations upon request. To request special accommodations, call the Center 14 working days in advance of the event.
To request this information in an alternate format, call 711.
