Throw horns for history and rush the stage* for statistics riffs at the bar show where the nerds are the rock stars and smart is punk af.
Cue it up: Three experts. Dozens of cheeky slides. A bar full of former gifted kids gone feral who love special interest deep dives. This is Nerd Nite DC.
*okay maybe just do this in spirit. Nerds are wild creatures who can be easily spooked by sudden movements.
Nerd Nite DC has been DC’s favorite irreverent lecture series since 2009.
In honor of spooky season, your Nerd Nite team is bringing you an extra-special Halloween spectacular for October’s show! Not only will we have our usual three mind-blowing speakers, audience games, and overall rowdiness, but we’re also featuring the dazzling burlesque of Aquarius Moon AND the inimitable Prudence Blowhole performing three original spicy songs from “S*x Monster” about some of our favorite monsters and their lore.
PLUS– come in costume and participate in our super-nerdy costume contest during one of our breaks, and you could go home with a nerdy prize. Will your costume require a Ph.D. to get the joke? Well, we want to see it! We’ve got tricks, treats, dance playlists, and the ultimate Halloween pregaming party!
Your host this month is legendary chaos gremlin Diva Darling, joined by our three wildly entertaining and wickedly smart speakers giving three must-see talks:
– Aquarius Moon, “The Revolution Will Be Teased: Understanding Burlesque as a Cultural Force”
From ballroom culture to modern Hollywood, from political pushback to queer nightlife, striptease has shaped more of American culture than anyone realizes. Burlesque has always been more than glitter but a true rhinestone revolt. Burlesque artist Aquarius Moon reveals how costume, character creation, sensual storytelling, and glamour have impacted social movements, representation, gender power dynamics, and even commercial entertainment.
Aquarius Moon is an award-winning burlesque artist, cultural curator, and movement educator whose work sits at the intersection of politics, pleasure, and performance. Named a “Top 50 to Watch” by 21st Century Burlesque and crowned the Queen of Sin City Burlesque, she tours nationally while teaching thousands of women how to reclaim power through sensual movement. Her work examines how striptease, ballroom, and nightlife shape American identity, from Hollywood to political culture.
– Mike Bock, “AHHH!: A History of the Jump Scare”
Join scary movie enthusiast Mike Bock for a thrilling journey from the movie palaces of the early 20th century to the viral frights of the internet age. Plus, see a live demo on how to create your very own jump scare in PowerPoint!
Mike Bock is a DC area comedian and science communicator. He has written, produced, and taught sketch comedy for over a decade, with performing credits at Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, SketchFest Seattle, DC Sketchfest, and others. He works for the Smithsonian Institution.
– Alex Hillman, “Drift, Incentives, and Control: How the Systems Around Us Fail”
Complex systems and major institutions don’t fail because people are evil (well, mostly). They fail because people are rewarding inside incentives that are completely fucking insane. And once you understand that, you stop asking “Why are people so stupid?” and you start asking the much scarier question: “What is this system rewarding?” Because whatever it’s rewarding… that’s what you’re gonna get. Every time. But don’t worry– we’re also going to talk about how to prevent those fails!
Alex Hillman is a DARPA Program Manager who allocates technology investments at the nexus of AI, Cyber, and complexity management, as well as an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with 15 years of experience as a data scientist and aerospace engineer. He holds masters degrees in operations research, systems engineering, and flight test engineering, and completed his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Aero/Astro. Fun fact: after a catastrophic scheduling error in undergrad, he is now proficient in Russian and Ukrainian.
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DOORS 6PM | 21+
Doors open at 6, show at 6:30. Talks are 15 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A, and during the breaks, you can play along in our “alternate talk titles” competition to try to win a free drink on us. It’s rowdy, interactive, and the most fun you’ll have learning something all month.
The show is on the second floor of DC9 and is mostly standing room with limited seating available on a first-come, first served basis.
Nerd Nite DC is produced by Rae Pendergrass, navi, and Diva Darling.