Peerless Rockville this month explores classical dances of India and, in honor of Women’s History Month, the story of a mother and daughter from Rockville who dared to defy gender restrictions.
The Glenview Mansion and Peerless Rockville Speaker Series presents “A Dance Yaatra or Journey” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 10 at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre at Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Drive. This free special event offers a glimpse into the world of classical dance styles of India. Presented by the Indian Dance Educators Association, the program will showcase dance styles dating back centuries that are steeped in mythology, history, religion, spirituality and rigorous artistic training, as well as how each region of India spawned dance styles that reflect the region’s culture, language and clothing. Register at www.rockvillemd.gov/registration with course #20650 or at www.peerlessrockville.org.
Peerless will also present the story of a pioneering mother and daughter from Rockville as part of its “Women Who Dared” series at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 24. The presentation, via Zoom, will share the inspirational stories of Clara Finley and her daughter Bliss Finley, Rockville residents who did not let the restrictions placed on women by late 19th- and early 20th-century society hold them back. Clara was a divorced mother with a young child who attended medical school and became a pioneering doctor and supporter of women’s rights and childhood education. Bliss was prominently featured in society columns as a young woman. As she matured, she used her connections to help organize and inspire working women to stand up for the right to vote.
Register for this virtual program at www.peerlessrockville.org.