OOO #21: Outfits, Ohio, and Other Things I Like
Another new career option, the ballet, and my new favorite news subscription service.
Outfits
Ohio
I had the absolute joy of watching BalletMet perform “Swan Lake” at the Ohio Theatre this past weekend. I saw the company perform “Giselle” last year, and I am now totally hooked and can’t wait for the 2023-24 season. I am really looking forward to “Romeo and Juliet,” not just as someone who loves Shakespeareana in all of its forms (more on this next week), but also because they are performing with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra! (!!!!!)
I am also curious (PUN INTENDED) about their upcoming performance of “Alice;” I love Alice in Wonderland and used to carry my father’s copy wherever I went for YEARS. You may also catch me at “The Nutcracker” at Christmas since I don’t think I’ve seen it since I was a little girl. As I said before… I think I’m hooked.
I had never been inside the Ohio Theatre before, and it was an incredibly impressive venue. The theatre was built in a Spanish-Baroque architectural style and is gilded within an inch of its life. I learned from the above website that more money was spent on art and furnishings than on the building itself. As someone whose art and furnishings are slowly closing in on her in her own house, I must say—we love to see it.
I like ballet for many reasons. Obviously, it’s an elegant art form, the stories are dramatic and amusing, and the athleticism of the dancers is always astounding. As a naturally expressive and loud person, I like that you can clap during ballets after a solo or other performance you really like. I still carry my childhood fear of mortifyingly clapping in between movements of a classical piece, so I appreciate that this type of engagement is normalized and encouraged. I also love that ballets’ plots are often interrupted by 10-20 minutes of just dancing, usually under the guise of “this is what typically happens at a picnic lunch or in a graveyard.”
But I think that what I like most about ballet—which you can also say about most live performances like plays or orchestral concerts—is that these works have been performed in so many iterations, by so many different companies, for centuries. Each performance is unique and every artistic director puts their own mark on their current project, yet these performances are all connected to those which came before it. How many people have watched Odette leap to her death or Puck mistake Lysander for Demetrius? And how many of those people, after watching just one performance, were irrevocably changed by it?
I suppose we perform ballets and symphonies and plays because they are beautiful of course, but also because audiences, directors, and performers alike still connect to them in both mundane and profound ways, even after so much time has passed since their creation. Art, especially performance art, is so very human, and I love it.
Other Things I Like
I have wanted to get back into reading more about (and maybe volunteering in) the international relations space for a while now. This summer marks the fifth anniversary of me making a career change away from foreign policy, and I dislike the feeling of having way less of an understanding of what trends are developing internationally and what’s going on in the world. I have always really respected the Economist, but balked at their prices (especially as this is now a recreational rather than professional interest). However, I noticed a way cheaper option to gain access to their content: The Espresso App.
The Economist markets the Espresso App as “Espresso is a rich, full-flavoured shot of daily global analysis from the editors of The Economist to get you up to speed, fast.” Basically, the Economist provides short updates as to what’s going on in the world several times a day, which they blend together into a ~12 minute podcast. The podcast is informative, without any frills or chattiness, and also includes a daily quiz (you can submit your answers at the end of the week and the theme that connects them to get a shout out). You also get access to four of their long-form analysis pieces each week, which are personalized according to three topics of your choice. I chose the Middle East (duh), Asia, and Economics. It seems pretty easy to change the topics, too.
The Espresso App is set at an affordable price ($7.90/month) and provides a manageable amount of content that makes me feel like I’m getting my money’s worth; I’ve actually read all of the articles and listened to every podcast, and I have a way stronger understanding of what major events are going on in the world. Today I even heard the word “fungible” used in a sentence and felt my IQ increase by a point.
If you’re wanting to get into more internationally-related content but don’t know where to start (or alternatively if you want to downsize from an expensive subscription that you don’t use enough of), I highly suggest the Economist’s Espresso App.
That’s it! Have a great rest of your week!