San Francisco Ballet Streams Performances and More

We know that ballet dancers are the most fascinating people, they never talk or sing, but their superb dancing conveys many amazing stories. This week, the San Francisco Ballet Company is launching a number of ways you can make ballet part of your daily at-home routine. Enjoy SF Ballet @ Home streamed performances; Adult Ballet Classes: offering a class every weekday; Ballet Myth Busters: Dancers Don’t Eat?!; listen to the Orchestra Spotify playlist and, my favorite segment, the Meet the Artist podcast where you learn about Esteban Hernandez, the dancer who was recently promoted to Principal Dancer and who discusses his childhood, career, and the role of Benjamin in Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella with Caitlin Sims. He also shares about his work with his family in Mexico, sharing the joy of ballet through performances, classes, and auditions. Enjoy, learn and move in the comfort of your living room with your darling pooch stretching and sitting next to you. Stay e-connected with loved ones and keep yourself safe, well and culturally-enriched. And stay at home.

Information
415-865-2000
SFBALLET.ORG
SF Ballet @ Home streamed performances
Adult Ballet Classes: Take class every weekday
Support the SF Ballet Critical Relief Fund
Ballet Myth Busters: Dancers Don’t Eat? Food menu
Meet the Artist podcast and listen to the Orchestra Spotify playlist

Photo courtesy of Erik Tomasson

The Oakland Zoo Is Alive and Interactive
Weekdays from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Cocooned at home? Don’t despair! The Oakland Zoo is offering “Behind the Scenes” video subscriptions to see how the zoo’s animal keepers and veterinary hospital staff keep each other happy and healthy. The program, which will be broadcast live through the zoo’s website, adds an educational component featuring experts talking about the lively and hectic life at the zoo, something you may never see in an in-person visit. Subscriptions are $14.95 a month, but zoo members get the first 30 days free, followed by a discounted $9.95 a month fee. The subscribers, in particular kids, are able to submit questions during the broadcast and have a Q&A with Michelle Myers, the host of this live show, as well as with the doctors and experts taking care of the animals. The youngsters may be inspired to become veterinarians.

Information
510-632-9525
oaklandzoo.org/go-behind-the-scenes

photos courtesy of Oakland Zoo

SFMOMA’s Virtual Tour with Photographer Julia Margaret Cameron

While museums are closed to the public, the brilliant people at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) are offering an interesting partnership with YouTube. Subscribe to SFMOMA’s YouTube channel for videos featuring weekly interviews with artists talking about modern and contemporary art while on a journey outside the museum walls and in the studios of some of the world’s most famous artists.

One such artist is Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879), who at the age of 48 was gifted with a photo camera by her daughter. Few women at that time were interested in photography, but Julia got infatuated with this art, converting her chicken coop into a photo studio, and enlisting friends to pose as figures from myths and legends. And as they say – the rest is history. Her photographs, mostly portraits, are truly fascinating with an interesting story attached to every photograph. She is considered one of the most important portraitists of the 19th century. Learn the story behind Cameron’s otherworldly portraits. This amazing visual and educational gift from SFMOMA and YouTube is one to experience.

Information
415-357-4177
sfmoma.org
https://www.youtube.com/user/sfmoma/featured

Photo courtesy of SFMOMA

See the “Levi Strauss: A History of American Style” Exhibit Virtually at the Contemporary Jewish Museum

I was eager to see this exhibit on the opening date of February 13, 2020 and I did. I love jeans. Upon my arrival to the United States the first thing I purchased was a pair of Levi’s jeans. I still keep them as my treasured souvenir, although I can not fit into them. Ahh, the good life in America.

“Levi Strauss: A History of American Style” is the largest exhibition to date of materials from the Levi Strauss & Co. archives. The exhibit celebrates the birth of the blue jean, showcasing the life of Levi Strauss, the evolution of Levi’s from workwear into iconic fashion wear, and the city of San Francisco that inspired this style revolution.  

But the Museum had to close their fab exhibit due to the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in an enormous number of people who missed seeing it. But the good folks at the Contemporary Jewish Museum saved the day by creating virtual tours of the entire exhibit. Don’t miss this opportunity to see this exhibit in the comfort of your den, wear your own favorite pair of jeans and cowboy boots and a hat, and reflect on the ways Levi’s has

infused the culture of America, and has become shorthand for classic American style abroad. You will love it! Do you remember when and were you bought your first pair of Levi’s?

Information
415-655-7800
thecjm.org
The Contemporary Jewish Museum

Photos courtesy of CJM

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England, she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.