It was a warm autumn night, one of those nights in DC that we just left behind. The weather was humble, clothes were not yet thicker and reflections of the sunset were on the leaves day and night. A strange cocktail of melancholy and happiness of the transitioning season was inside the overly discussed red cups of the Washingtonians. I was too excited since my tickets were bought, it was going to be my first ballet experience in the Kennedy center. We were about to take our Uber to ‘The Suzanne Farrell Ballet’, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ own ballet company in Washington, D.C.

The show was composed from three parts; Walpurgisnacht Ballet, which was going to be the company premiere (first meeting with the audience), hence I could guess the excitement of the dancers, like my own. The second was the Shakespeare’s forever joy, ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream – Pas De Deux’[1], and the third one was “Scene d’Amour from Romeo and Juliet”(oh la la!).

A small but sophisticated ballet company, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, has given annual seasons at the Kennedy Center since 2001. Without going into too much detail, I want to mention about the style that was used in the show, that is the Balanchine Technique. Named after a Russian born American choreographer, the Balanchine technique is all about rhythm, minimalism and funny details. For example, at the second act of Walpurgisnacht Ballet, ballerinas came back to stage with their long, untied and wavy hair with multiple colors and wooed the audience after a typical first act.

A midsummer Nights Dream brings one back to childhood memories;  I personally adore Shakespeare’s unbound imagination, which also fueled mine when I was five. Yet, a cocktail of Balanchine and Shakespeare was divine!

Hmm… There is a spot that you have missed at ceiling Jose!

After all that minimalism, the last act ‘Scene d’Amour from Romeo and Juliet‘, the most well-known love story of all times, brought some color into our lives. It was one of Balanchine’s three “Jewels” ballets; the story was in the color of ‘Emerald’. According to an article in the New York Times, Suzanne Farrell and Kyra Nichols Carry On Balanchine’s Spirit, “Emeralds were delivered with real nuance, sensitivity and freshness.“ According to your fellow resident, it was legen -wait for it- dary. Not only was the ballerina, Heather Ogden, in noticeable harmony with her partner, but the whole scene was recreated again with Emerald Ballerina’s on the stage like a necklace from Buckingham Palace. From now on, Green is the new pink when it comes to love and romance.

The air is getting colder, going outdoors on weekends is unfortunately not desirable anymore.  With the ‘Special Price Tickets’ for us students, the Kennedy Center is a must go-to indoor weekend activity. Not to mention it hosts an incredible collection of different ballets and concerts from all over the world – don’t miss your chance to see this concrete jungle of art while you are in DC. Stay with art, love and passion everyone! Wishing you all a great December and early greetings of Christmas!

Kennedy Center Calendar

[1] Let’s jump on a bit of ballet world, shall we? Pas de Deux means couple dance. Check this link for an awesome one.

Museums for Free? Yes, I will, Please!

One year ago.

My heart was pounding. It was this time around last year. “What do you mean it’s free?” I asked with eyes open. “Museums in DC ARE free,” the girl with blonde highlights who later became my best friend replied. It was just a few hours earlier that day that I had given my two days [worth of] lunch money to the Bologna Museo Civico Archeologico. This was amazing news for someone who would be in DC the next year. I felt like I had started to like that city already.

Today.

Not surprisingly, one of the first things that I did after arriving in DC was to visit the Smithsonians. A museum freak like me is hard to please, I was thinking that no museum was able to astonish me after the Louvre, Uffizi or the Museum of Broken Hearts in Zagreb. But you know what – I talked too soon. The Smithsonian Museum chain is one of the most well organized, fun and interesting museums that I have ever been.

There are 18 different Smithsonian Museums and galleries in DC and almost all of them are free to the public. But my favorite one is the American History Museum – one of the biggest ones in the Mall.

There are over 30 exhibitions and three collections at the museum. Exhibitions have an incredible variety, from ‘Lego American Flag’ to ‘First Ladies’, or ‘SparkLab’ where you can touch a harmless electric flow bowl and make your hair go crazy. But among them, the ‘Food: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000’ exhibition was the one that I liked most.

Like most of you, I grew up in a world that is ruled by fast food. Going to McDonald’s on weekends and collecting every limited version toy was a must for a second grader. However, there is an enormous story behind how the American Cuisine shaped and later determined global trends of our kitchen. Take the reality of fast food for example, starting from the early 50’s, the inclusion of TV to our daily lives opened a new page called ‘TV dinner’; ready to serve food with no preparation, mom’s favorite…

Big city life, things need to be done really quickly; there are meetings to catch, classes to attend and millions of empty stomachs to serve, sound familiar? The fast food industry created its giants starting from 60’s. At the exhibition, you’ll witness how the change in the balance of power in international relations has changed food trends. Russian McDonalds lines of the 90’s…That’s what I am talking about.

Another example is when immigrants from all over the world after the 60’s brought their eating habits with them. At the ‘Resetting Table’ section you will see how millions of American’s developed a taste for once exotic food made by once exotic people who were now neighbors.

No more spoilers. I hope you will enjoy your time if you visit before the notorious cold starts! It was such a nice Sunday attraction and a chance to learn how cheese got in a can (no, seriously, like coke!). Stay hungry, stay foolish and have a great month everyone!