Article by Matt Shlonsky – Photos by Toby Mues

With Memorial Day upon us, what could be better than celebrating life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with a big serving of house music and acrobatics? This past weekend visitors to the Jefferson Memorial were able to do just that, thanks to the creative prowess of David Fogel of 88 DC and Bump ‘N Grind Coffee (which was delicious and available on site).

Fogel got to see his dream, Forward DC Fest, a full week of art, documentaries, music, and overall inspiration, an effort 3-years in the making, finally capstoned at the Jefferson Memorial on Saturday and Sunday. This wasn’t the scene at the Jefferson Memorial you remember visiting during your 8th grade trip to DC. Forward Fest on the steps of the Jefferson was the first of it’s kind to get permits for an event like this. The kids that were visiting for field trips this weekend must have a memorable impression of the nation’s capital.

First, some history: Several years ago Fogel choreographed a dance for the Cherry Blossom Festival that was performed on the steps of the Jefferson. The opportunity to create that performance was a “very powerful experience,” and his main motivation in selecting the iconic location.

Forward Fest was an amazing fusion of funky house music DJs spinning music all day, while aerialist performers dangled high on tapestries to create a beautiful performance along with the music. The scene was set perfectly, DJs off to the side of the steps of the Jefferson Memorial facing the sunny tidal basin, in perfect view and hearing range of all the tourists coming up to see the Jefferson—which created a rather hilarious scene of confusion, followed by excitement, by those just arriving to the historic landmark.

To some, having a house-fueled festival on a memorial may be disrespectful—but for anyone who experienced Forward Fest, the opposite sentiment became evident. As mixes blasted from the steps, the power of music was clear. Visitors young and old, American and foreign, could all be seen dancing together. A dance circle, a true “melting-pot”, of people rejoicing in the sun on the steps of the Jefferson was truly an amazing site witness. For a moment, everyone was one. There were no differences, no judgment—just people coming together to celebrate life and dance to the music. A few guys recognizable from the iconic Meridian Hill Drum Circle even broke out their drums and began jamming with the DJs.

The collective celebration on the faces of the visitors, and the fusion of traditional and modern, all made Forward Fest a truly amazing and rewarding experience to be a part of—especially because it was the first of its kind. There couldn’t have been a more fitting place for this type of creative expression on the site of the memorial for a president who once swore, more than 200 years ago, “eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”