"Art Beat" With Stephanie Kaye - Monday, February 1, 2010

(February 1-6) CRYSTAL COUTURE Paris, Milan, London, Crystal City? For the first week of February, high fashion flourishes in the Commonwealth as part of Crystal Couture, today through Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. at 23rd Street and South Crystal Drive in Arlington. The Crystal City Business Improvement District turns retail space into runways, boutiques, and night clubs in this second annual foray into the fashion world.

(February 2-April 11) RICHARD II In Shakespeare's words, "the ripest fruit first falls." You can hear how why tomorrow as Richard the Second drops onto the stage at the Sidney Harman Hall in downtown D.C. The Shakespeare Theatre Company portrays the feckless monarch in his attempts to win back the hearts and minds of the masses, squandering the treasury and warring with Ireland along the way.

(February 4-April 10) HENRY V Richard the Second is the first in what's known as the Henriad, a group of four plays that includes Richard's successor, Henry the Fifth. And the Shakespeare Theatre stages Henry the Fifth on Richard's heels, opening Thursday at the Harman Hall and running in repertory through April 10th. The young and brash Henry takes his nation to war with France, discovering the true cost of war and the burdens of leadership.

(Mondays through April 19) MONDAY NIGHT AT THE NATIONAL And the series Monday Night at the National is back, with free dance performances at the historic theater. It kicks off tonight with the Persian and Turkic moves of the Silk Road Dance Company. Shows are at 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Future "Monday Nights at the National" performances include: February 8th: Equinox Dance Company February 22nd: Jason Garcia Ignacio City Dance Ensemble March 8th: Life, Rhythm Move Project March 15th: Dancing on the Green (Laureen O'Neill-James Irish Dancers) March 22nd: Sheela Ramanath and the Kalavaridhi Dancers March 29th: Arax Armenian Dance Ensemble April 12th: Reflections Dance Company April 19th: Singular Sensations