CityDance Ensemble. Photo credit: Paul Gordon Emerson.
Tomorrow afternoon from 4-5:30pm, the U.S. Helsinki Commission will host a panel discussion on the plight of Iraqi refugees, the largest displacement in the Middle East since 1948. Free and open to the public at the Capitol Visitor Center’s Main Auditorium, the program will highlight the condition of approximately two million Iraqis straining the resources of their host countries.
As part of the event, CityDance Ensemble will perform Wishes of a Sailor, a piece inspired by their recent tour through the region where they visited Iraqi refugee communities in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
CityDance’s own Paul Gordon Emerson will participate in the panel along with U.S. Helsinki Commission chair Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), and Dr. Michael Gabaudan of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
The refugee situation is dangerous not just because of the human suffering involved, but the risks it presents to the region’s already delicate security. Be inspired by the dance, and learn more at the U.S. Helsinki Commission.
As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.
