05 January 2021

6 social accounts to follow for dance parties, art classes and lockdown-improving cook-a-longs

05 January 2021

We knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it feel any better. Increased restrictions are back, along with much of the isolation, confusion, and awkward family Zoom quizzes that made other lockdowns so special.

As ever, our saviours lie online. Here are a few virtual workshops and watch-alongs to help keep you sane during this gloomiest of Januaries…

1. Kid-friendly cook-alongs with Claire Thomson

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Edible fun for all the family, Claire Thomson’s kid-friendly cook-alongs provide a perfect tonic to school closures, and may help train up your little ones enough for them to be genuinely helpful at mealtimes. From suppertime staples like lasagne to the more mercurial parsnip, ginger and fig loaf, even the fussiest families should find something to satisfy their tastes.

2. Poetry readings with Hollie McNish

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Scottish-English poet Hollie McNish has been doing live readings of her poems (and others) on Instagram and Facebook, and with a new book out soon (Slug) her output will surely only grow. Described by The Scotsman as “a law unto herself… even by the standards of the defiantly lawless world of performance poetry”, McNish elicits strong opinions from differing parts of the poetic spectrum, but everyone agrees her honest, exploratory verse is impossible to ignore.

3. Art tutorials with the aptly-named My Art Tutorials

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Specialising in cartoons and manga (and drawing people in particular), My Art Tutorials posts regular tips and hacks to nearly 400,000 followers to aid artistic composition and technique. Though sometimes in video form, the tutorials’ most common format is a step-by-step series of swipeable stills, so keep scrolling.

4. Dance parties with Sophie Ellis-Bextor

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Singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor won the hearts of the nation with her “kitchen discos” during lockdowns one and two, and if her Christmas number is anything to go by we can expect more of the same (and thank goodness). Loud, joyful, and unapologetically merry, they’re the unbridled one-woman party this lockdown deserves.

5. Life drawing classes with Brixton Life Drawing

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All the artistry of life drawing, without the awkwardness of prolonged eye contact with your model, the Brixton Life Drawing classes serve up plenty of virtual fun while teaching you a serious skill at the same time. In January, 20% of all proceeds will go to the Captain Tom Foundation, which tackles loneliness and bereavement during this most isolating time.

6. Joe Wicks is back 

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Joe Wicks is returning to tide over yet another lockdown, with the feelgood fitness classes that delighted millions through much of 2020. Now an MBE and bona fide national treasure, The Body Coach will be debuting a thrice-weekly programme of live shows, designed to be challenging but accessible to people of all ages and stages.

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