Week 24: Pure Barre on the Bridge

I know, I know. Another free exercise class. Sounds a bit like I'm in a rut - a healthy rut, it has to be said, but still ...

Thing is, I couldn't miss out on the chance to take a free Pure Barre class (usually $99 for 5 weeks). I didn't know much about Pure Barre but my coworker and cohort in crime, Robin, assured me the class was fun and challenging in equal measures. Pure Barre's full-body workout is low-impact and concentrates on hips, thighs, seat, abs and arms using small, isometric movements.

Sounds easy, yes?

It's not. But it is definitely fun.

Robin and Luann ready for Pure Barre on the Bridge

The free class we took was located on the Purple People Bridge, spanning the Ohio River at Cincinnati and Newport, and was an attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records for largest barre class ever. We don't know yet if the record was broken, but the previous record was 250 participants and the 9:30 a.m. class we attended had a total of 367 participants, so we think we might have nailed it. Over three classes (8:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.) the Barre on the Bridge total was 955.

Barre on the Bridge: photo courtesy Pure Barre/Fierce Marketing

The Enquirer/Cincinnati.com offers employees the chance to use Redbike, a community-wide bike-sharing service, for free by reserving one of the company's member passes (normal daily Redbike rate is $8).

A rack of Redbikes ready for action

Robin and I also took the opportunity to bike to and from the Barre on the Bridge event using Redbike and afterward took a leisurely ride along the riverfront, The Banks and across the Roebling Suspension Bridge into Covington, where we met up with the hubs and friends for the end of the Ireland v. Belgium game (Euro2016) at Molly Malone's Irish Pub.

Riding Redbike is a fun and fast way to navigate the city

Week 23: PNC's Summer of Indie with Drowners and The Joy Formidable

Every night there is something free happening on Fountain Square in the heart of downtown Cincinnati. There's trivia on Mondays, Fountain Feud game show on Tuesdays, reggae bands on Wednesday and salsa music and dance lessons on Thursday.

Friday, however, is my favorite night of the week on the Square because it's indie music night.

Last year I saw Sloan - one of my all-time favorite bands - on a rainy Friday and they were amazing.  SLOAN! For FREE! I'd have happily paid cash money to see Sloan (and actually have done so in the past) so this was pretty much perfect in every way.

There are big names playing every Friday this summer - Guided by Voices, Rev. Horton Heat, Cloud Cult and Kishi Bashi to name but a few. This weekend it was Drowners and The Joy Formidable.

I am a big fan of Drowners; JF not so much, but hey, free's free.

Drowners

Drowners

The Joy Formidable

PNC's Summer of Series: Indie 2016 happens every Friday through September 2. 

Week 22: Yoga on the Green and Dreamers on the Stage

Last week's Pilates class at Washington Park inspired me to check out some of the other workouts offered in the park, so this week I wandered over for The Yoga Bar's Vinyasa class, held on the oval every Tuesday throughout the summer.

Yoga class in front of Music Hall

The class is cleverly designed for everyone from beginner to expert; three yogis from The Yoga Bar demonstrate each pose/movement from the park's stage - one showing the beginner pose, another the intermediate level and a third doing the advanced level pose. Instructors walk around and guide participants while offering positive thoughts and gentle pointers.

Yoga on the Green

It is absolutely wonderful! I really enjoyed the class and felt both relaxed and rejuvenated afterward. I definitely plan to go back for more.

Another cool thing: The Yoga Bar gave out white wristbands to the first 500 participants, which offer discounted deals at area businesses.

It's Cool To Be Kind!

Also this week I ventured over to MOTR and caught another fantastic (and FREE!) show - this time it was a triple bill: AudioDamn!, The Young Wild and Dreamers headlining. I was most excited to see AudioDamn! because I had missed them earlier in the year at Headliners in Louisville and I lovelovelove their single "Lights Out." I was also stoked to finally see Dreamers, who have played MOTR before and are poised for the big time.

AudioDamn!

Dreamers - they're dreamy!

Dreamers rocking the joint

All three bands put on an excellent show and my only complaint is that it had to end. I've included videos by AudioDamn! and Dreamers to keep the magic going.

Workout on the Green happens every Tuesday and Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. Choose from Pilates, Yoga, Kickboxing, Bootcamp and Dance Fitness. All classes are free.

MOTR
1345 Main St.
OTR
Always 21+. Always free!

Week 21: Workout On The Green

The chilly and wet weather finally left the region this week and to celebrate I walked over to Washington Park on Tuesday evening to soak up some sun while giving Pilates a try at the weekly Workout On The Green.

Participate at your own risk!

I'd never done Pilates before and to be honest really didn't know a lot about it. All I knew going in is that it is a type of small movement exercise that really works the core muscles. I've been doing strength-training work ever since my surgery at the end of 2014 and have made great progress but recently felt as though I needed to step up my game core-wise. A Pilates class - for free! - seemed too good to pass up.

Pilates in the park

I'll be honest, I'm not sure how much I got out of the class because I didn't know some
 of the terms the instructor used and had to watch what she was doing before I could try it myself, which meant instead of doing 12 repetitions of a movement, I only managed 6 or 8. On top of that, the sun in my eyes meant I kept having to raise a hand or arm to shield my eyes to see what the instructor was doing - which knocked off another rep or two.  I got a workout but not exactly the workout I had hoped for. Didn't even feel sore the following day so who knows if I was doing the movements correctly.

Pilates in the park

A good turn out for the event

I liked the exercises and movements but I think perhaps I will try doing them with the aid of a DVD or YouTube video until I can learn the terms enough to follow along.

Washington Park
1230 Elm St.
Over-the-Rhine
Workout On the Green happens every Tuesday and Wednesday from 6-8:15 p.m. 
Also at Washington Park beginning in June for 16 weeks: Weekend Workout on Saturdays from 9-10 a.m. with YMCA instructors. Includes Yoga, Cardio, Bootcamp, Zumba and more.

Week 20: Comic Con

We stopped by the main branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for its annual Comic Con for this week's free event. We didn't know what to expect and were pleasantly surprised to find the library buzzing with people getting their geek on.

There were board game tables, quiz competitions, crafts and face painting for kids, a scavenger hunt, dice games, cosplay/costume contests and artist booths where fans could meet authors and get free comic books.

Sci-Fi fans compete in a Jeopardy-style quiz

Fans got to meet comic book/graphic novel authors and illustrators

A fun Wheel of Fortune game. We both won super hero rubber duckies

Graphic novelist (and friend) Eric Adams, who pens Lackluster World

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County hosts free events daily.

Week 19: MOTRMouth Comedy

Regular readers have probably noticed we go to MOTR a lot. What can we say? It's a great little bar booking some of the best "under the radar" acts on the planet, it has something going on every night of the week - and it's all FREE.

We ventured there this week for the MOTRMouth Comedy Showcase held in the basement annex. MOTRMouth is held the second Tuesday of each month; there is also a sketch comedy showcase called Future Science on the last Sunday of the month. We haven't done Future Science yet but there are plenty of weeks left to do so.

One of the many comedians at MOTRMouth Comedy

Hosted by Mark Chalifoux and Andy Gasper, this month's comedians included Michael Myers, Max Friedman, Paulina Combow, Michael O'Keef, Karl Spaeth and Adam Sokol.  All of the comedians had some good jokes, but I liked Paulina best. She had some excellent one-liners and good delivery.

Between each stand-up, Mark and Andy did fun quizzes and gave away door prizes, which this month were free movie passes to see the new Ryan Gosling flick Nice Guys, and promotional t-shirts from the film. I won one!

Comic and Washington Post columnist Paulina Combow

MOTRMouth Comedy
Every second Tuesday of the month
Always 21+, always free.

Week 18: Klaus Johann Grobe at MOTR

MOTR was the place to be Friday night as Swiss duo Klaus Johann Grobe unleashed their unique brand of infectious organ-based dance grooves on an unsuspecting but genuinely appreciative crowd. Organ/synth/vocalist Sevi Landolt and drummer/vocalist Daniel Bachmann have added a bass player for their first U.S. tour and their new album Spagat der Liebe had just been released the day of the show.

Organ funkmeister Landolt joked the show was their record release party - and what a party it was!

It is time to get funky! Klaus Johann Grobe at MOTR

Klaus Johann Grobe at MOTR

Sadly my camera phone doesn't handle low lighting situations very well so the photos aren't the best, but these guys put on one hell of a show. Trust.

Photo by Jim McNair, whose camera phone doesn't suck

Here's a taste of what you missed if you weren't there.



MOTR
1345 Main Street
Over-the-Rhine
Always 21+. Always Free!

Week 17: Final Friday in Northside and Funkin' in the Park

This past Friday was the last in the month, so once again Cincinnati's arts community was on the prowl, hopping from gallery to gallery, checking out show openings as part of the city's Final Friday.

While there were many interesting art events happening across the city, the ones that caught our attention and imagination were "Radically Visible" and "Bowie in the Basement," both held at Thunder-Sky Inc. in Northside.

Bowie in the Basement was curated by Emily Brandehoff and features about 50 works from a variety of artists, all celebrating David Bowie's life and art. Here are a few of our favorites from the collection:

"Glampire" by Jonathan Queen

"Where the Fuck Did Monday Go?" by Rob Jefferson

"Now You Float Amongst the Stars" by Anthony 'Tank' Mansfield

"Untitled" by Ryan McNeely

Radically Visible features works by Antonio Adams, Sky Cubacub, Craig Matis and Lindsey M. Whittle, artists who use costume, performance, language and symbol as vital ways to break down the barrier between artists and audience. The barriers were certainly removed on Friday night when several dozen performers presented one of the funnest fashion shows we've ever seen while modeling the handiwork of Cubacub. They had the audience dancing, shimmying, shaking and singing along with them from start to finish. It was absolutely electric!

Antonio Adams

Wearable Actions by Lindsey M. Whittle adorn the ceiling

Lovely 3D piece by Craig Matis

"Clothing is your second skin; it changes the way you hold yourself" said artist Sky Cubacub

Cubacub opened the show with kinetic dance

Artists and dancers modeled Cubacub's creations

A piece from the collection

Cubacub is hoisted on the shoulders of friends at the climax of the show

As if seeing the grooviest art show in the city wasn't enough for one week, the very next day Steve and I ventured over to the Center for Closing the Health Gap's Health Expo at Washington Park and caught the Ohio Players live in concert. 

Yep, you read that right. The Ohio Players played a free show at Washington Park and it was MAGNIFICENT!

We were not sure the show would happen since it had rained for most of the day (and last year's free performance with Bootsy Collins was, with great sadness, cancelled due to bad weather) but the rain stopped and they played a blisteringly excellent 75-minute set chock-full of hits - including a magical rendition of Prince's "Purple Rain," which was highlighted by a few moments of light rain coming down, as if His Purpleness had orchestrated it himself (and who knows, maybe he did) - and closed the show with their smokin' hot hit "Fire."

Proving you simply cannot photograph the funk, this pic doesn't do justice to their blazing set

Steve claimed seeing The Ohio Players live was one of his bucket list items, and he had all-over body aches the following morning from all the dancing he did. Blame it on the boogie.

Final Friday happens the last Friday of every month at art galleries all around Cincinnati. Openings are free.

Thunder-Sky Inc.

4373 Hamilton Ave.

Northside

Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine holds free events daily.

Week 16: Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum is not normally free but a few times per year the park offers free admission, usually in conjunction with a special event. April 24 is International Sculpture Day and to celebrate, the park waived its normal $8 per person fee for the day.

Entrance to Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park

The 300-acre park combines woodland, meadows, gardens and lakes with over 70 modern and contemporary pieces of sculpture. Visitors can enjoy the park on foot, in a vehicle or by renting an "art cart" to traverse the hilly landscape. The park is divided into four areas: East Ridge, North Woods, Central Valley and Overlook Hill. We opted to drive to each section and stop at various lay-bys to get out and walk from piece to piece.

Row of "Art Carts" awaiting drivers

It was a splendid spring day and had I been smart enough to wear my Brooks GTS-15s instead of sandals (to show off my gorgeous new pedi from Spruce), we probably would have walked the entire park.

Euclid's Cross by Michael Dunbar

Dragonfly Dome by Voss Finn

Trilogy by Obie Simonis

Still Life by Ed Benevente - Steve reckons it looks like a bloke puking

Midnight Serenade by Pokey Park, although I like to refer to it as Death Throes of Tottenham Hotspur

The Cube by Tony Rosenthal (reminds me of the Borg's cube)

Overlook Hill

Another view from Overlook Hill

Abracadabra by Alexander Liberman

No idea. Not listed in the brochure

Another one not in the brochure, but it literally buzzed with excitement

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park is open daily.