14 Jun 2014

Weekend culture


There is something special about weekend, isn't there? Even though we follow a fairly relaxed schedule during the week, Saturday is the only morning I feel free to lounge around.  Which is why I'm still in bed at 9.15 am.  Noice.  Jemimah and her bestie are still in bed too, but there is dance music emanating from the darkness, so I know they're alive.  Hubby, as usual, is up and dressed and working on his laptop in the living room.  I don't complain about that though, because when he's up, the Tea Fairy is working, and that is a very good thing.  I am so spoilt.



We're gorging on culture this weekend.  We're off to the Aztecs exhibition at Museum Victoria this afternoon after swimming lessons to learn a bit about Latin America and the Aztecs, and have a think about the Spanish Conquests. There are some similarities (and differences) between these and our Australian Indigenous history, and I wonder whether the exhibition will highlight this. I'm guessing so.  I am excited to learn more about Cortes and Montezuma because all I know about Latin America I learned through AO, and through this video, which we watched in preparation during the week:



I was interested to realise that the height of Aztec culture was the 1300s - exactly where we're up to in our study of the Middle Ages. Tenochtitlan was apparently bigger that any city in Europe during that time. Perhaps Jemimah will see this link as she adds something to her Book of Centuries.  Otherwise, I might just need to nonchalantly mention something.  Heh heh.

As if that's not enough for any girl, tonight we have tickets to Chroma danced by the Australian Ballet.  It's a triple bill, with a range from pieces set to Tchaikovsky and Mozart right through to Wayne McGregor's post-modern Chroma itself.  I am more of a fan of contemporary ballet now that Jemimah is studying it, because she makes me appreciate the skill that goes into things that appear effortless, but this ballet seems a little bit scary! Let's see what she says about it. Don't you love it when your kids start to teach you stuff? I get dumber every year, it seems, while she is definitely getting smarter.



If that's still not enough, we also have a reservation for dinner out at a favourite Japanese restaurant tonight, but I'm not going to talk much more about that because I've already acknowledged that I'm spoilt once in this post, and well, I am.

Are you doing anything cultural this weekend? Do you like contemporary ballet? Is there an interesting exhibition on at your local museum or gallery?  Are you spoilt too?  Talk to me!

6 comments:

  1. Sounds fabulous! I love Saturday mornings for the very same reason, to just move around slowly and relax. We did have friends coming over for lunch today, but I cancelled due to my daughter coming down with a bug last night, so post poned until tomorrow. The only event happening in my community today is a fishing comp (which my son is in) and a surfing competition. Nothing really cultural! We are planning a trip to canberra next week (before we go to Sydney) to go to the war memorial, royal Australian mint, parliament house and the museums. :)

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  2. We are home this weekend. I am grateful beyond words. I need some rest. I do like modern ballet & this looks fantastic. I like the energy of modern ballet & I must also admit I like extreme dancing. ;) If it comes our way I might actually make an attempt to see this, though as you know we mostly do music stuff ~ for obvious reasons. In a few weeks we do Creative Generation [Cait is singing with the Alumini choir] then Holst towards the end of August ~ so plenty of culture heading my way.

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  3. Not much 'culcha" in these here parts! The twins will be three
    on Monday so we are celebrating tonight. Otherwise a very quiet weekend. I like ballet but have seen very little of it and mostly not live. Hubby loves classical music and we have occasionally gone to a performance but honestly, the cost of these wonderful events just prohibits a lot of us going :-)

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  4. Julie, you are sooo right! The cost is prohibitive. I've been lucky. Before I left Sydney I had a friend who worked in the ticket office at the opera house & she got me into dress rehearsals. Wonderful, & a fraction of the cost! Now I get the occasional freebie to whatever Cait is involved in.

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  5. If you count 3 hours of watching The Amazing Howard Hughes curled up on the lounge as culture, well, then, yes! No - no actual culture planned. I am jealous of your getting to watch the Australian Ballet frequently, though. I used to have season passes when I was "youth" and lived in Sydney. I didn't used to like contemporary as much when I was actually doing ballet - I preferred the classics, but now I love it. Having taught dance at school also made me appreciate it. The cost of live theatre in general is prohibitive.

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  6. That sounds lovely, Jeanne. I also consider myself very spoilt, though I won't have much time for a sleep in, culture, reading or writing this weekend. I really prefer classical ballet when the opportunity arises ... it's what I danced for 10 years, and I still feel the romance and grace of it every time I hear the music it imprinted on my heart.

    We have had a lovely day with our children and their friends doing sporty things ... soccer and trampolining (trampoline dodgeball looks like a ton of fun!) Dinner will be beautifully simple and homemade. It is the eve of my son's 10th birthday, so tomorrow will be fun, low key as he wishes, having lunch and cake with his Nanna then going to church in the afternoon.

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