residents. The name is inspired by the geodesic dome that houses one of the theaters. In October 2010, Artisphere hosted multiple opening events including a party titled Burst! The event, which was sponsored by Brightest Young Things and The Pink Line Project, celebrated the launch of Artisphere and featured music, performances, video art, and visual art. One of the attractions was balloon artist Katie Balloons who was filmed by cable television channel TLC for a reality show which featured the Burst! event. After the first year of operation, the center received mixed reviews. While it was voted the 2011 Best Arts Center in the Washington Post Express Readers’ Poll and Best New Venue in the Washington City Paper Readers’ Poll, the county determined that first year revenue and attendance expectations had not been met. In response, a task force was formed to create a new business plan for the center. The plan, implemented in 2012, included reduced operating hours and programming updates. Artisphere closed at the end of June, 2015 after the Arlington County Board voted to not support Artisphere for the next fiscal year. Programming Building on the success of sold out performances in 2011 featuring musical acts Bluebrain and Dar Williams, the updated programming includes world music performances. Concerts by Haitian musician BelO, Brazilian samba singer Diogo Nogueira and Mexican American alternative rock musician Rana Santacruz sold out in the first two months of 2012. The WSC Avant Bard performing arts organization (formerly the Washington Shakespeare Company) stages several theatrical productions each year in the Black Box theatre. Performances at Artisphere have included modern adaptations of plays by William Shakespeare, Albert Camus and Tennessee Williams. WSC Avant Bard gained international attention when it staged a night of Shakespeare partially performed in the Klingon language with actor George Takei from the original Star Trek TV series. The BBC filmed a subsequent performance with its own Stephen Fry and used footage in a documentary series about language. WSC Avant Bard continues to perform in Klingon on rare occasions. The National Chamber Ensemble performs original and classical chamber music at the Spectrum Theatre at Artisphere. UrbanArias, an opera company that produces short contemporary operas, performs in the Black Box Theatre. The ballroom is used for salsa, swing and social dancing. The three galleries in Artisphere (Terrace, WIP {Works in Progress}, Mezz Gallery, along with the Artist in Residence Studio have hosted