“The world will surprise you with its grace,” is a line from a movie that I have watched many times. In today’s environment, this line has been brought to fruition in the most generous ways. We are all affected in how we move about, how we work, how we interact with friends and family, and how we entertain ourselves.

As in Sleeping Beauty, theater, music, art, dance, intellectually stimulating courses, and much of our in-person physical activities have ceased for the moment. However, the outpouring of generosity on the part of performers, museums, theaters, educators, and trainers have amazed me over and over. Sometimes I have blinked to be sure that what I was reading is true. And, so it is. We need grace and must exercise generosity now. We need the arts now more than ever. What better way to experience grace and generosity now?

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From Paris to Seoul, from London to  Washington, DC , Florence to New York City,  and from Harvard to Yale, and Princeton, along with many others, the best and greatest are sharing with us their best and greatest. We can nourish our souls (this is not a theological article) profoundly by a click on our computers . We can regroup. Perhaps this is our opportunity to explore, learn, reinforce, and discover the beauty of the arts. Our souls will be better for it.

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Through my love for the arts, I feel like a kid in a candy store – where to go first – what to watch first?? Actually, I am feeling like I did on my first visit to Fortnum and Mason, “Must focus. Time is fleeting.”

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To help make the most of our situation, I have compiled links to complimentary  (some are pay what you can) videos from some of the world’s greatest resources. To these generous and gracious people and organizations, I give heartfelt thanks. Please remember them when times change and support them by become patrons, buying tickets, attending exhibitions, and buying future streaming services. They have gone above and beyond our expectations to feed our souls with beauty, creativity, adventure, and grace.

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Ballet and Opera:

• Pointe Magazine has compiled fabulous ballet performances
• Discussion about ballet’s artistry and choreographer, Kenneth McMillan’s exceptional demands on exceptional dancers
• Virtual Adult Ballet Class with The Washington Ballet
• Ballet Barre with the Dutch National Ballet
• The Metropolitan Opera
• The Royal House – London – Streaming free ballet and opera

Theater:

• Shakespeare – From the Globe Theater in London a
• Where to watch every Shakespeare Play
• National Theater, London
• Broadway Plays

Music:

• Arts on the Hill – University of Virginia – weekly videos – jazz, poetry, and so much more!
• National Philharmonic – musicians share their musical contributions – #MusicalNotes – brilliant segments  of music

Tours / Architecture:

• British Palaces
• Hillwood Museum and Gardens from your home

Art and Museums:

• Paris Museums share 100,000+ works of art for free – 14 Paris museums share over 100,000 images for use and enjoyment
• 12 Museums offer virtual tours – from the Guggenheim and the Washington National Gallery of Art to the Uffizi, to the British Museum, London, and so many repositories of treasured art throughout the world
• National Gallery of Art, D.C. – 10 Digital Educational Resources

Movies / Shows /Documentaries:

• HBO provides movies, programs, and documentaries free to stream
• Amazon Prime SXSW 2020 Film Festival – ““Prime Video presents the SXSW 2020 Film Festival Collection” offers filmmakers in the 2020 SXSW Film Festival lineup an invitation to opt in to take part in this online film festival, which will play exclusively on Prime Video in the U.S. for 10-days. The one-time event will be available in front of the Prime Video paywall and free to all audiences around the country, with or without an Amazon Prime membership, all that is needed is a free Amazon account.”

Literature / Books

• Download over 300,000 books  for free through the New York Public Library

Free Courses:

• Free Ivy League Courses – 450 courses you can take now

Pilates:

• Morning Pilates with ballet dancer, Brian Murphy – once you are on the site, you will see how to follow the class.

Let’s be prepared with greater knowledge and appreciation for when the doors are opened and curtains rise once again.