Leap into the New Year with the San Francisco Ballet
January 14 at 6 p.m.

Join the dancers of San Francisco Ballet for their first-ever virtual benefit featuring an 88th Season Opening Gala performance hosted by Madison Keesler, SF Ballet Soloist, and curated by SF Ballet’s Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson. Tickets include a customized experience for you and your guests, featuring gourmet home-delivered dinners from McCalls Catering & Events, gifts, and wine; a performance on the main virtual stage featuring world premieres; a private virtual table for you and your guests with Company member drop-ins, a social wall where you can share photography with other benefit-goers; and more. Proceeds from the Virtual Benefit will benefit a wide range of SF Ballet artistic initiatives, including new works, accessible digital content, scholarships for San Francisco Ballet School students, and community education programs for youth, families, and seniors.

The evening’s performance will feature excerpts from new work by Helgi Tomasson; Dedicated To… by Yuri Possokhov with legendary ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan; an excerpt from Wooden Dimes, Danielle Rowe’s world premiere; Pas de Deux from Coppélia by Arthur Saint-Léon; an excerpt from Myles Thatcher’s world premiere; the world premiere of the short film Mrs. Robinson by Cathy Marston; Act III Pas de Deux from Don Quixote by Alexander Gorsky and Marius Petipa; Pas de Deux from In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated by William Forsythe; and the White Swan Pas De Deux from Swan Lake by Helgi Tomasson. No tuxedos or evening gowns are required, but you are welcome to dress up and feel glamorous in the comfort of your home. After all, it is a gala!

Information
415-865-2000
tickets@sfballet.org

Photo courtesy of SF Ballet

New Hair Style Exhibit at the San Francisco Airport’s Museum
Now through August 22

Hair Style, the new exhibition at SFO, explores how women styled their hair over the course of the twentieth century and how they did it in all manner of fashions. Historically, women’s hair care and styling took place at home with the help of family, friends, or domestic staff until the late 1800s, when salons began to open. By the late 1920s, thousands of beauty parlors had opened across the United States. Hooded dryers arrived in salons during the 1930s and permanent wave machines became commonplace fixtures. The late 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s served as the golden era of the beauty parlor, when women regularly flocked to salons to socialize and have their hair “set.”

High-volume hairstyles created a greater demand for hairspray, and by the mid-1960s, hairspray became the top selling beauty product in the United States. Styling hair remains a very important part of our culture and this fascinating exhibit reflects great nostalgic memories of the fashionable history of hair styles. This exhibition features historical tools, hair products, and novelty items, from early curling irons and hair dryers to afro picks and one-of-a-kind hair sculptures, mostly from the collection of Jeff Hafler’s Beauty Bubble Salon and Museum in Joshua Tree, California.

Information
sfmuseum.org
This exhibition is located post-security in Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Departures Level, of the San Francisco International Airport and is accessible to ticketed passengers only.

Photo courtesy of SFO Museum

Share your Travel Dreams

I know you have missed traveling during this Covid-19 nightmare year and I am sure you have also canceled your long-planned vacations just like I did. But hope is in the air as the long-awaited vaccines are slowly arriving to our doctors offices and now is the opportunity for you and me to select a fabulous and hugely deserving destination for our next travel plan. With this in mind, the San Jose Mercury News newspaper is offering you a creative project of telling them your future dream travel destination. Tell them who you are, where you’re from and what trip you’re most looking forward to taking in the future – and why this one’s at the top of your list. I’ll share a secret with you about my dreamy trip: A cruise from San Francisco to Buenos Aires in Argentina where I can learn how to dance a fabulous tango. How about you?

Information
Send your travel dreams suggestion to jburrell@bayareanewsgroup.com

Photo courtesy of San Jose Mercury News

Online MasterClass with Chess Champion Gary Kasparov

Due to the enormous success of Neftlix’s “The Queen’s Gambit,” the game of chess is more popular than ever and MasterClass, the streaming platform that allows anyone to watch or listen to hundreds of video lessons by 100+ of the world’s best experts, is delivering a world class online learning experience with Gary Kasparov. At age 22, Gary Kasparov became the youngest world chess champion. After beating Bobby Fisher’s peak rating, Kasparov outranked his fiercest competitors for over twenty years. Now Gary is ready to share with his students his chess strategy that made him a six-time world champion. Through detailed lessons, including his favorite opening and advanced tactics, you will develop the instincts and philosophy to become a stronger player. Though there’s no guarantee Netflix will make a movie about your excellent chess skills…

Information
masterclass.com
The video lessons are available anytime, anywhere on your smartphone, personal computer, Apple TV and FireTV streaming. The annual membership is $180 with unlimited access to all classes.

Photo courtesy of MasterClass

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.