Dancin’ in September

Get ready for an memorable night of seventies classics. 

• Join a Spotlight Talk with a Phillips Educator.
• See Vivian Browne: My Kind of Protest.
• Save your spot for a special incense making workshop with ceramist, artist, and teacher Luna Monay, and create your own incense cone or stick using natural materials.
• Make and design incense holders to take home.
• Groove to the music of FootsXCole featuring Alex Vaughn.
• Visit a Museum of Illusions pop-up with optical games inspired by Earth, Wind & Fire music videos.
• Savor tastings and delicious food by Bread Furst. 

About FootsXCole

FootsXColes is a versatile production duo hailing from the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The group is made up of Foots (drummer, songwriter, singer) and Coles (producer, singer, pianist). The two artists started performing together as FootsXColes in late 2016. Their music is a refreshing take on alternative R&B—spacey soul music with futuristic sounds and vivid lyrics. Not only has FootsXColes wowed audiences with their electrifying arrangements, but they have also lent their talents to other acts. FootsXColes has performed on NPR Tiny Desk as the band for Toro Y Moi. They have also played at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts alongside Alex Vaughn as a part of the “Celebrating Women in Jazz” series. Additionally, FootsXColes has opened for other artists including Free Nationals, Little Simz, and Yaya Bey.

About Alex Vaugh

Alex Vaughn’s evocative R&B songs are written with richness, honesty, and a desire to always keep evolving. An unquenchable thirst for growth is what’s powered the Maryland singer/songwriter as she’s released songs like her February single “Mirage,” a hypnotizing reflection on a toxic situationship, her first release since signing with LVRN/Interscope in 2021. Since then, she’s continued to push herself. Her new project, The Hurtbook, seamlessly juxtaposes her classically trained musicianship with the raw expression she’s developed as she digs deep. Vaughn’s trajectory was always going to include music. As a toddler, she’d often sprint from the bathtub to her grandmother’s piano and around age five or six, her parents enrolled her in classical and jazz piano lessons. Still, her heart was set on R&B. In 2017, Vaughn began posting covers to Instagram and Twitter, which led to performances at notable venues such as The Kennedy Center and The Fillmore, and opening on national tours for K. Michelle and Eric Bellinger. During the pandemic, Vaughn joined LVRN’s Instagram Live talent show. She caught the label’s attention, and the following year, they formalized their belief in her. Now, with The Hurtbook, she’s using her platform to show her fans how far self-belief can go. 

About Luna Monay

Luna is a ceramist and teacher from Washington, DC, with five years of experience working in clay and one year of teaching. After making incense burners for friends and personal use, they naturally found their way into crafting by hand, diving into its rich history and the way scent shapes mood, memory, and ritual. Alongside teaching ceramics, Luna now hosts workshops focused on incense making and its cultural roots. Their work blends form, function, and sensory experience, creating space for others to slow down, connect, and explore tactile traditions.

IMAGE: Vivian Browne, For You, 1974, Oil on canvas, 46 3/4 x 50 3/4 in., Courtesy of Adobe Krow Archives, CA, and RYAN LEE Gallery, NY