Each year I like to do a roundup in each of my blog categories. It is an interesting way for me to reflect on the year for the blog, and a chance for you lovely readers to catch up on posts you might have missed. However, 2021 is indeed again another different year. And so I have decided to handle my roundups differently, as well. I will be choosing my own 5 favourite posts from each category (rather than simply those that performed the best), and explaining why I love them. Without further adieu, here are my top 5 culture posts of 2021!
1) Using Google Arts and Culture
Google Arts and Culture is one of those fairly large projects that I find not a lot of people know about. While visiting museums and cultural sites in-person is preferable for a lot of people, there are many of us who can’t regularly go in-person for a variety of reasons. Google Arts and Culture makes a great deal of museums, galleries, cultural sites, and organisations virtually accessible from anywhere on the planet, for free. The app also has several entertaining games and puzzles, which are great for getting anyone of any age excited. Let’s make culture more accessible, not less!
2) Behind the Ballet: Don Quixote
My Behind the Ballet series is one of my favourites to work on- a lot of people avoid classical story ballets because they feel like they don’t know what is going on. However, a quick intro, and you will be able to enjoy it no problem.
I chose my Don Quixote post because I think that this ballet often gets ignored by casual ballet fans. It has a highly entertaining and amusing story, and while it definitely draws on the novel of the same name, it is in no way a copy of it. I was lucky enough to see the Royal ballet perform this in 2019, and I’ve never felt such excitement from the stage. Absolutely a must-see ballet!
3) How Can We #SupportTheArts in 2021?
I wrote this post almost a year ago now, in January of 2021. And while I wish things were completely “normal” again, they are not, including the arts. In the autumn of 2021, we saw many ballet companies, theatre companies, and artists return to the stage. However, new variants, cold and flu season, and rising Covid case numbers everywhere have shut down many theatres (sometimes repeatedly). The performing arts community still needs our help more than ever, and there has been no better time to show your supports for the arts.
4) Culture Bite: Cecil Beaton and the Ballet
I’m always amazed by how interconnected culture, the arts, and society were in the twentieth century. Everything feels more silo-d now, but for several decades, the movers and shakers of society were intimately acquainted with the performing arts community.
Cecil Beaton is best known for his photography, particularly his work with the British royal family. However, he was a massive fan of the ballet, as well. He published his a memoir of sorts on his relationship with ballet, and it’s one of my favourite books!
5) The Best LM Montgomery Adaptations
I had a lot of fun with LM Montgomery Month in May! As a Canadian, I am more than well-acquainted with Montgomery and all of her characters, but I know that not everyone is. I’ve gathered my favourite LM Montgomery adaptations from over the years. While Anne Shirley and Emily Byrd Starr are fairly well-set characters on the page, they can take any number of characteristics on when on the screen. And yes, people have very strong feelings about these adaptations!
What are your top 5 culture posts of 2021?
Cheers,
The Historian
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