Paris: What to See and Do?
24 Apr 2012 4 Comments
in Culture and Arts, Europe, International Travel Tags: architecture, Art, couture, design, entertainment, fashion, nightlife, Paris, sightseeing, Yves Saint Laurent
If Chanel gave liberty to women,
Yves Saint Laurent gave them power.
Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves St. Laurent
On my return trip to the City of Light., I may not change my mind about the Eiffel Tower being an eyesore, but I am open to being converted into a Francophile. Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to tell me what else to add to my list:
Institut du Monde Arabe (1 Rue des Fosses St.-Bernard | 5th arrondissement) is a Jean Nouvel designed building best known for its facade of steel diaphragms that open and close with the changing sunlight. How curious is that?! The restaurant at the top floor has rotating exhibits and fabulous views of the city.
Le Barrio Latino in the Bastille (Metro Ledru Rollin) for four floors of dancing and dining.
Hotel De Sens (1 Rue Figuier, 75004) the oldest medieval mansion in downtown Paris is not actually a hotel. It does have an impeccably manicured tapestry garden and houses an arts library.
Crazy Horse (12 Avenue George V 75008) for burlesque in an intimate, old world setting.
High tea at the Mariage Freres (13, Rue des Grands Augustins) on a charming, exceedingly Parisian street. When you enter the door, you’re transported to another time with dark wood furniture and tea tinted yellow walls lined with their iconic black and red lacquer tea packaging–beautifully detail oriented and deserving of being voted #1 luxury tea brand by Newsweek.
Musee de Artes Decoratifs (107 rue de Rivoli 75001) because I love objects that are both functional and pretty. This museum is at the end of one arm of the Louvre, offering exceptional temporary shows and a fabulous permanent exhibit. I hear museums are free on the first Sunday of every month, at least for their permanent collections. I’m thinking of Sunday brunch at their great new outdoor cafe facing the Tuillerie gardens. too.
Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent (5 avenue Marceau 75116) houses the workshop studio of the great designer and their current exhibit “Kabuki” is dedicated to Japanese costume theatre. I’m very curious to see emblematic haute couture prototypes and YSL’s design sketches where he used masculine codes to give women security and audacity whilst accentuating their feminity.
xoxox
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Madame Butterflies Are Free
15 Mar 2012 2 Comments
in Culture and Arts, Empowerment, Family, Women Photography Tags: geisha, Madame Butterfly, Metropolitan Opera, relationships, Self love
You cannot say to the sun, “More sun.”
Or to the rain, “More rain.”
Arthur Golden in Memoirs of a Geisha
Madame Butterfly’s latest run at the Metropolitan Opera ended last week fluttering on to other world stages, for who isn’t fascinated by the exotic? Who isn’t intrigued by the mystery of the geisha? Who doesn’t want a faithful lover who pines for our return–when and if we feel like it?
My young daughter tells her brother “I love you” and waits for him to reciprocate. He–brothers being the way they are–rolls his eyes and she cries indignantly, “But he’s supposed to love me back!”
I assured her that loving someone doesn’t make him obligated to love you back. And to remind them that childhood sibling squabbles are practice for dealing with their future spouses, I added, “Even when you’re married.”
“Ha!” My son laughed incredulous, “Even with my wife?!”
Yes, we are free to love as we choose. And there’s no greater freedom than in loving simply because.
Special thanks to Mountain for the quote he shared in response to the “Love After Love” poem on this blog’s “Be Divine” page:
True love begins when nothing is looked for in return. -Antoine De Saint-Exupery 
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
xoxox
Flamenco Passion Fuels Courage
02 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Culture and Arts, Glamour, NYC Nightlife, Women Photography Tags: dance, fitness, Flamenco, Glamour, gypsy, Le Poisson Rouge, NYC Nightlife
I have everything I had 20 years ago, only it’s all a little lower.
Gypsy Rose Lee
She was only 12 years old when her little heart was swept away by a flamenco performance. Since then, Marina Elana has dedicated her life to a dance that requires grace and the disciplined precision of the “compas” (rhythmic pattern.)
El baile flamenco is known for its emotional intensity, proud stance, expressive use of the arms and rhythmic stamping of the feet. In traditional flamenco, emotional maturity is required to adequately convey the “duende” (soul) of the genre. Thus, unlike other dance forms where dancers must turn professional early to take advantage of youth, many flamenco dancers hit their peak in their thirties and continue to perform well beyond their fifties–much like the way a woman owns more and more of her power with age.
“Classical flamenco,” the style used by dance companies, is characterized by a proud, upright carriage that makes every woman look like the Powerful Goddess that she is. At its most authentic, flamenco is danced informally at gitano (Gypsy) weddings and celebrations in Spain. “Flamenco puro,” the form closest to its gitano origins, is always performed as a solo improvisation.
And in the tradition of the courageous gypsies who originated this dance, Marina now makes New York her new home, designing her destiny with a production “Simplemente Flamenco” at Le Poisson Rouge this Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. Ole!
© Sharon Birke
201 697 1947
Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother
Powerful Goddess is a trademark of DoubleSmart LLC
xoxox
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