We Might as Well Dance.
Fear can never be our guiding light.
Dear Reader
Yesterday, I went to the supermarket to get a few essentials I’d run out of. On the way back, a man inside the window of a workshop looked up at the same time as I walked by and he waved. I waved back and smiled from under my mask. I wondered if he could tell I was smiling and then felt silly when I realized the corners of my eyes had crinkled, so of course he could. I passed a UPS truck and as the guy hopped out, he wished me a good day. I replied with “thank you for still delivering things,” and wished him a good day back. I choked up a little — the feeling of missing this every-day New York lodged itself in my throat.
To live here is to come into contact with people you don’t know on a daily basis. The energy that courses through this city is what makes New York, New York. It’s why we live here and nowhere else. Sure, I don’t like it when someone with their head buried in their phone bumps into me and I will always mutter (loudly) under my breath when 3 people insist on walking in a row on the pavement, but I take it as part of living in NYC. I’ll shout about it, for sure, but it’s the people who I share these streets with who I missing a lot right now.
With that in mind, here are a handful of my recommendations for this weekend:
1. Harlem-based artist Jordan Casteel had her first solo NY exhibition, Within Reach, cut short by the pandemic. Which is an utter shame (like so many things) because her portraits of people she encounters are really quite captivating. You can still “walk through” the exhibition, on the New Museum website, and while it’s not the same, it’s still a good thing to do if you, like me, are missing people.
2. If you fancy spending your Friday night with Jamie Lee Curtis, you can join her for a live watch party of La La Land, which will also feature a performance from Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz and Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle. It’s in support of out-of-work movie theater employees nation wide. 6pm PST/9pm EST.
3. As part of their #OurHouseToYourHouse series, The Royal Ballet is bringing
Christopher Wheeldon’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Winter's Tale to Facebook, from 7pm BST today. [Thanks to Casey Mae Reed for this one.]
4. The Grammy Museum will be presenting a never-released-before program with Trey Anastasio tomorrow. And from today, their Beyond Black — The Style Of Amy Winehouse exhibition will be digitally available online.
5. The Broadway Podcast Network is presenting a new radio play, Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors, featuring the likes of Laura Benanti, Christopher Siebert (as Count Dracula) and John Stamos, released in 4 installments, with the first one out today. They’ll be gathering for a live chat tonight at 5pm PST/8pm EST as part of Broadway Podcast Network's Town Hall.
6. The Whitney Museum Of American Art is offering a class via Zoom on making DIY pottery at home, on Saturday, 12pm PST/3pm EST. Even if you don’t have clay (or a Patrick Swayze-like character in your life), they’ll show you how to make it yourself using everyday household materials, with hand-building techniques, à la artist Betty Woodman.
7. I haven’t featured a lot of culinary options on here, but my friend Liz, who I met through Airbnb Experiences, usually hosts fantastic food tours, which have been put on hold because of the C word. But Ahoy New York is still giving you the chance to get a li’l taste of Little Italy through their meal kits. Find out more here.
8. On Sunday, Choir!Choir!Choir! is back with another sing-a-long, this time, Fleetwood Mac-themed! (That deserves 3 exclamation points!!!) The deets are all here. [Thanks Stevie Wong for this tip].
Thank you for reading. I’ll leave you with this little uplifting tune from Madeleine Peyroux, which has become a staple among my “quarantunes” playlist. Feel free to send me any of the songs you’re listening to at this time. I always appreciate a good song-swap! Enjoy your weekend, and I’ll be back on Monday.
Stay safe, stay sane
Your neighbour
Nadia