A lot can happen in a week. In just seven days we went from boisterous live events happening all over the city and bustling restaurants to show cancellations, temporary closures, social distancing, take-out only menus, and many of us in self-isolation or quarantine. But social distancing need only be physical. In Vancouver and all over the world, people are coming together, in spirit, and connecting digitally. Here are some things you can do this weekend.
Vancouver-Based in the Digital Space
Great Resources from Around the World
Some Key Bits of Awesome for this Weekend
Vancouver-Based in the Digital Space
These local rock stars are all about giving you access to some great resources to make things a little easier. From getting your hands on some of the best food in the city, to making sure body and soul stay healthy, and letting your imagination run, they have you covered.
Looking to support your local grub hubs? Breaking Bread has created their website to show which restaurants across British Columbia and beyond are offering delivery and take-out options, so you can keep showing your favourite restaurants some love. They’re at 57 restaurants and counting, so be sure to check them out for other ways to show support for local small businesses.
Check In On Your Favourite Vancouver Animals
Take a live streamed peek at the otters, penguins and jellies at the Vancouver Aquarium, and the grizzly bears in their den at Grouse Mountain.
You can count on us to continue offering you moments of solitude that support your spirit through our online content and on-demand classes. We’re also exploring other live-streaming class options so be sure to follow us on Instagram and YouTube.
Those sweat-dripping, feel-good endorphins don’t have to stop just because we’re distancing ourselves. Over the next few weeks, Lululemon will be delivering daily content from their community and ambassadors to help you live #thesweatlife wherever you are.. Be kind and get sweaty!
Formation Studio
Formation Studio is bringing their serious rhythm into the digital space! Their instructors burn up the floor in their classes rooted in all styles of dance – login and see if you can keep up. Check out their Instagram stories for more details on upcoming classes.
Other Ways to Get Your Sweat On Thanks to These Vancouver Fitness Studios
Exercise was already a good thing to do in the days before the pandemic, and as we all go into self-preservation mode, it’s downright essential. Vancouver Magazine has pulled together an all-star list of local fitness professionals who are still offering classes and workout ideas from a distance. Give these sweat-hounds a try and, when we’re on the other side of this thing, maybe buying a membership from them would be cool?
Select performances from the VSO are being made available on their website. BeethovenFest: Virtual Finale is currently available, featuring pianist Saleem Ashkar and by conducted by Otto Tausk. Watch their space for new additions to their livestream and on-demand library.
Science World Online Resources
The fun, games, and learning doesn’t stop! Science World has a great selection of activities and games geared towards exploration, investigation, and demonstration of science that’s all around us. These great resources are excellent options for engaging your kids.
Making social distancing glamorous, many local drag artists have taken their glittery, subversive, fun and gorgeous acts into the digital space.
Art brings us together. It’s still true. Even when we can’t be together physically, art is still there to teach us about our ever-changing world, inspire us to new ideas, and make our temporary isolation feel a little less alone. For all the ways art helps us, right now art needs our help too. Here are a few ways to support the arts in BC from WestCoastCurated.com.
Great Resources from Around the World
We’ve been really excited about all the other blogs, websites and platforms we’ve noticed lately. Some are newer than others, but they all open a window to some of the amazing things you can access from the comfort of home. Here are just a few of our favourites:
The Social Distancing Festival is an online artist’s community made to celebrate and showcase the work of the many artists around the world who have been affected by the need for social distancing that has come about due to the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Google Arts and Culture: Museums and Galleries
In case you hadn’t heard about it, Google Arts & Culture features content from over 1200 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world’s artistic works to your fingertips. Explore by time and colour, collections, categories, and the ‘Nearby’ feature that gives you access to artists from your own backyard.
Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestras around the globe offering free online musical content
Malaysian newspaper The Star has compiled a list of several concert halls who are moving their performances online – because, as we all know, the show must go on! Take in some of these incredible performances, fall in love with their artistry, and maybe make a mental note to visit them in person some day.
Some Key Bits of Awesome for this Weekend
For good measure, here are some performances to tap into this weekend.
On stage, a group of gamer/performers aged 11 to 46 enact different mother-son narratives—from the Beowulf saga, to Bambi, to The Terminator—using the video game Minecraft. Mine is live-operated from start to finish, and opens us up to expansive new territories in an intergenerational performance that both interrogates and recognizes the role technology plays in our modern parent-child relationships.
Tune in to Theatre Replacement’s Facebook page On Friday March 20th at 7pm PST, and Saturday March 21st at 2pm PST for a live streaming of the performance!
Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women
Zee Zee and the Frank Theatre unite with the Firehall Arts Centre to bring this powerful verbatim piece compiled from over 70 interviews with trans women from around the world to the stage. The play follows 7 characters through a series of monologues using the hero’s journey as the structure for the piece.
The performance is being live streamed on Saturday March 21st, at 8pm PST.
What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments.
