Affinity Groups

The purpose of the balance class is to help you recognize that strength and agility are the best defenses against falls and practice skills that will keep you on your feet. The class is taught by a volunteer physical therapist from NovaCareRehabilitation (formerly Physiotherapy Associates).  

Members, Social Members, Volunteers, and Guests are welcome. If you have any questions, please contact the Village at 202-543-1778 or info@capitolhillvillage.org. 

Join Capitol Hill Village members of all different bicycling levels for outings throughout DC. Explore new trails and get your exercise in all while enjoying the outdoors and getting to know other members.  

This group is for anyone interested in learning about the Bridge Group and Bridge Group members. The Bridge Club is meeting virtually and playing bridge online. We welcome Capitol Hill Village members who understand bridge and who have an interest in bridge base online. Many new players started with mini-bridge and now play four days a week using the online software, Bridge Base, bridgebase.com. We continue to increase our knowledge of bidding and playing. We are learning and using American Standard bridge conventions. At times the group coordinates among themselves to bring in a professional instructor.

To sign up for Bridge Base, go to https://www.bridgebase.com/v3

The Cinephiles see contemporary films on their first release in theaters. The group selects five or six films each month. Members see at least two of the films on their own and then come together to discuss them. We meet from 6:00pm to 7:30 pm on the second Thursday of the month.  

Registration is required, open to members and social members. 

Capitol Hill Village members can meet other members over lunch or dinner at local restaurants while seated at tables of no more than six.  Look for "Dinner Party" (or occasionally "Lunch Party") announcements.  The fixed-price given includes taxes and gratuities, with payment in cash only.

Reservations via the Village office are required as seating is limited.  Open to Members and Social Members. 

The Strollers meet every Monday at 9:00 am at the U.S. National Arboretum. This stroll is suitable for persons of all abilities, as the group’s pace is slow and there are places available for resting. Those who wish to walk at a faster pace are encouraged to do so.

The Easy Stroller group is open to all. 

Twice a month, Capitol Hill Village members meet at the game store Labyrinth (645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) to play a variety of card and board games. No experience is necessary as Labyrinth owner Kathleen and her colleagues teach members both individual and group games for an afternoon of brain stretching and bantering fun. Meets the first and third Thursday of the month from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.

No reservations necessary, open to all. 

Getting your papers in order (GYPIO) is an affinity group that centers on end-of-life planning. The purpose of this group is to ensure that our members end of life choices are planned and documented once they die. Capitol Hill Village embraces death as a natural part of the life cycle and empowers our members to embrace this thought as well. GYPIO members meet in small groups to plan and discuss wills, trusts, family information, financial planning, advanced directives, power of attorney, amongst several other relevant topics.

To learn more or join a GYPIO group contact Arie at aparker@capitolhillvillage.org or call 202-543-1778.

Hand Dancing, also referred as D.C. Swing, is a form of dance that was created by D.C. dancers in the 1950's. It is recognizable by its continuous hand connection as well as smooth fluid footwork.  In 1999 it was formally recognized as the city's official dance.  

Join Capitol Hill Village for an afternoon of hand dancing, snacks & fun! New to hand dancing?  There will be plenty of dancers there to show you the ropes. The group meets monthly at Capitol Hill Towers, 900 G Street NE.   

A spin-off of Capitol Hill Village’s popular Literary Book Club, the History and Biography Book Group read and discuss a selection of American and world history and biography books selected semi-annually in an e-mail poll of its participants. The group meets the first Wednesday of every other month. Most participants are lifetime readers who express the pleasure and satisfaction they feel in expanding their knowledge and understanding of national and world affairs.  

Open to members and social members.

The Capitol Hill Village Improv group meets via Zoom once a week for 8 weeks, with several sessions each year. The cost for each session (a total of 8 weeks) is $50. Sessions are facilitated by a professional Improv performer associated with the Washington Improv Theater. This is the perfect way for everyone to get an introduction to improv and theater. We’ll play games that tap into your creativity, while developing skills that enhance listening and engage your sense of humor. You don’t need theater experience. You don’t need to be a “funny person.” Just come in ready to have a good time. Improv is an amazing way to help people connect with each other and have their sense of play reignited. And we think everyone needs that pretty seriously. Join in on the fun!

Open to anyone ages 18 and up, contact the CHV office to discuss payment options 202-543-1778.

The Village Literary Group is open to all members and social members and welcomes new participants.  Some members attend regularly, others attend only when they are interested in the book being discussed. The club alternates fiction and non-fiction, both classic and contemporary, with an occasional evening for poetry or a play. The group reads one work a month and then meets for discussion. Books are chosen by members at a planning meeting usually held in May. Reservations are required; sign up is through the CHV office. 

Mahjong originated in China and is similar to the Western card game rummy. It is a game of skill, strategy, and calculation, and it involves a certain degree of chance. Join a group of members and volunteers who meet weekly to play together. Beginners welcome and reservations are required.  

Open to members, social members, and volunteers.  

The one-hour weekly meditation session meets every Wednesday from 12pm to 1pm.  Each session begins with discussion of the role of meditation in our everyday lives followed by 10 minutes of guided meditation and 15 minutes of silent Mindfulness Meditation. Tea and a short Q&A session round out the hour.   

Village members, volunteers, and non-members are welcome, and reservations are not required. 

On the second Thursday of the month, in Spring and Fall, members gather to walk together to the National Gallery of Art where we choose our individual viewing agendas.  At a designated time, we meet for lunch before walking back up the hill.  

Open to Members and Social Members.  

Have your children, grandchildren, or other young people in your life ever asked you what it was like when you were growing up? Have you ever thought about writing a memoir or creating an oral history? The Memoirs Affinity Group focuses on creating memoirs. Stories, as told by the people who lived them, reflect a unique piece of history and will be treasured by the storytellers, their families and maybe others for generations to come. 

The Group brings together people who are interested in creating a memoir with people who have already done so to create a space where participants can share approaches to getting started, resources for creating memoirs and ways to stay motivated to create memoirs for themselves, family members and others. 

The Village Opera Society is composed of members who love opera or who wish to learn more about it. The aim is to expand participants’ knowledge of opera, discuss upcoming events of interest, and enjoy the company of others who also like this glorious art form. Presentations usually focus on performances by opera companies in the Washington area, with descriptions of the history, synopsis, and music of each opera. There are also occasional guest speakers.  We meet (usually) on the fourth Thursday of the month from 5:00 to 6:30 pm at a member’s home.  Reservations required.  

Open to members and social members. 

Petanque is very much like bocce; it is a French game played by teams (up to three) using boules (balls). The goal is to place the boules as close as possible to the “cochonnet” (or piglet). New players are always welcome; they can receive instruction and can borrow the boules of other group members. The Petanque group meets at Garfield Park (S. Carolina at 2nd Street, SE) on Monday afternoons: from 4:00 until 6:00 pm during Daylight Savings Time and from 2:00 until 4:00 pm during Eastern Standard Time.  

Open to all. 

Each attendee may (but is not required to) bring a poem to read and share with the group. Join us for a lively conversation about what we think the poem means and more exploration of the topics the poems touch on.  

Please bring enough copies to share with the whole group. Reservations are requested. 

Potluck dinners are scheduled about four times a year at the home of a member.  Participants bring an appetizer, an entrée, a side dish, dessert, or a bottle of wine to share in a relaxed social setting. The day of the week when dinners are held varies depending on the host and other considerations.   

Reservations are required, and dinners are open only to members and social members due to space limitations. 

Join kindred spirits to ply your craft and enjoy good company. This is not a class to learn something, but for ongoing crafters, whether it be knitting, crochet, crewel, needlepoint, crosstitch etc.  

Open to Members, Volunteers or the General Public. Reservations required but not limited.

Qi Gong is a form of gentle exercise, suitable for any age or physical condition, that consists of flowing movement and breathing techniques. It is designed to improve the function of internal organs, vascular systems, and muscular and joint health. In addition, the practice may enhance circulation, sleep and relieve stress. Meets from 10:00 am to 11:00 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Location: St. Mark's Church Garden, 301 A Street SE.  

Open to Members and Social Members. 

Second Wind is a community chorus that has enjoyed making music together for over a decade on Capitol Hill. Members have varied backgrounds in music, and welcome anyone who loves to sing and wishes to join the chorus. We continue to meet weekly and rediscover the joy of music-making and performance through a variety of musical enrichment sessions, including music theory, sight singing, vocal pedagogy, master classes, and a song recording project to create a virtual choral performance.  

Visit our website at www.secondwindchorusdc.com or call Marsha Holliday at 202-544-2629 for more information. Members and Social Members are welcome to attend. Reservations are not required. 

Practice the beautiful and healthy art of Tai Chi! Most classes devote one-half hour to exercise and review of the basic postures and the other half-hour learning new postures. Both beginners and those experienced in Tai Chi can benefit from both half-hour sessions. Reservations and masks are required. Location: Turtle Park at Eastern Market (rain location, under the Eastern Market canopy).

The Capitol Hill Village Theater Group’s reason for being is to make it easier and less expensive for Village members and their guests to enjoy the rich, vibrant theater scene that DC is known for. A volunteer Selection Committee meets early each summer to choose around seven plays scheduled at various local theaters for the next season (Sept./October – June for the Group’s purpose). Each committee member volunteers to arrange for discounted, group-rate tickets for Village members and guests for at least one play each season.  Although the Theater Group does not hold regular meetings, theater lovers have a chance to meet and socialize at discussions that often take place after the show at a member’s home or a restaurant. The season’s list is announced in the September issue of the Village newsletter, and members can find more details about selected plays and make reservations once the show is posted on the Events List on the Village website. The Village’s monthly newsletter includes each play in its Event List for the month it occurs, and also includes alerts as needed to approaching sign-up deadlines (usually 2-4 weeks before the show date). Any Village member can purchase tickets for themselves and guests, but reservations are required and must be made before the sign-up deadline. All theaters we patronize are fully accessible, and accessible seating is available upon request.  

Open to members, social members, and guests.

The Travel Group consists of Villagers who have collectively traveled the world as guides, researchers, temporary foreign residents, and, of course, intrepid tourists.  An interest in exploring the world, a passion for adventure and discovery, and a desire to stretch their comfort zones are a few of the motivating factors for the group. Each month, there is either a meeting where travel experiences, information, and resources are shared, or there is a day-trip or an occasional overnight trip. Suggestions for topics, trips, and other activities are member generated. Reservations required.  

Open to members and social members. 

Under the tutelage of Capitol Hill musician and music teacher Janet Gilmore, a small group meets periodically to learn how to play this fun instrument, and to hopefully become proficient entertainers. We are always open to new strummers; no prior experience is necessary, just a ukulele!  Starting in October, the group usually meets Thursday afternoons to learn to play and sing new songs.    

Participants explore on foot the many sights in and around the City. The Urban Walkers meet at 9 am on the third Saturday of most months. Walks have length flexibility (from 3 to 6 miles with at least one break). On average, we keep a 25-30 minute mile-pace. Recently, we’ve walked the Cleveland Park neighborhood, the small parks of Capitol Hill (from Lincoln to Bartholdi), to and around Kingman Park, Capitol Hill Alleys, and the Zone 6 perimeter. Walkers always enhance this time together with stories, memories, and the history of our DC communities.  

All CHV members and guests are welcome and are asked to call the CHV office to sign up.

The Capitol Hill Village men’s group organizes meetings on topics of special interest to men (on health, cognition, nutrition, and other matters), hosts a lunch once a month at a local restaurant for chat and camaraderie, and organizes field trips (such as the Goddard Space center). Capitol Hill Village women are of course welcome at all Wyze Guyz events and meetings.  

Reservations advised for meetings and lunches but required for field trips (call the Village at 202-543-1778). Open to members and social members. 

This is a class for ALL skill levels and does not require any prior experience. We will have chairs available for those who want to do chair yoga. The instructor will modify poses for those using the chair. Bring your own mats and/or props, because we will not be providing those. You can purchase those items online on Amazon, target.com or rei.com, or at stores such as Target or REI.  

This class is free and open to the public.