During the 2020 Golden Globes, talk mostly centered around the fact that Australia is on fire. We’ve since moved on. Whenever I actually get around to watching the evening news, impeachment dominates the narrative. On twitter, my personal feed centers on the current undoing of voting rights by the Missouri legislature. Instagram is a whole nother story when it comes to self-esteem. 2020 is promising, but our world is filled with scandals upon scandals and fires upon fires.

This has changed the way we live. We live to cope and we live to survive. But this eventually turns into a trap. When things are bad, binging netflix and listening to calming music are helpful ways to ignore my problems. 

While those things have a place, they are only helpful to a certain extent. When I realized this, I started looking for things that would get me out of bed. I had not spent time looking at my needs. Instead I had focused on the things that were more or less out of my control. That distraction kept me from looking inward and from listening to the sound of my breath.

Prior to the fires of Australia and even before the House turned against Trump in 2018, I had started regularly practicing yoga via YouTube with a yogi named Adriene Mishler. Mishler hosts the YouTube channel “Yoga with Adriene” and offers free yoga practices on her channel for people of all levels of expertise. One thing Mishler does every year is release a 30-day yoga journey. The 30-day journey has an overall theme, and this includes a video produced every day with its own theme.

At the end of 2019, I reviewed how my semester had gone. Of course there were highs and lows. But in thinking about how I acted and reacted, I felt so disconnected from myself. I decided to do Mishler’s yoga journey named “Dedicate” over break. The practice aims to bring people to the yoga mat and help them dedicate time to themselves. Mishler writes in the description that this is time for “uncovering your authentic self. It’s not about re-creating, emulating or copying someone else.” 

I can’t accurately share what happens on the mat. Mishler guides the viewer through various yoga moves, some being harder than others, but the experience varies for every person. A pearl of wisdom gained from a practice by one person could be completely different for another. One particular day was aptly named “Courage,” and it required balance, stamina and trust in yourself. One of my more favorite days was titled “Reveal.” While it was not an easy practice, it focused on shedding the armor we put on to survive our day to day life. Each practice included its own challenges, and there were definitely some that I felt more in tune with. But the entire experience, curated by Mishler, asks us to simply show up for ourselves. That can be every other day, once a week or whatever works for your schedule. 

I got on the mat almost every day. It is in that regular practice, the time I dedicated to myself, that I was able to analyze my pain and shortcomings. But through these practices we can also see what is in our tool chest. That is where we grow and move forward.

I understand that I don’t have the ability to clean up the mess of American politics, and I don’t have any direct way to put out the fires in Australia, but during a really intense tree pose, I witnessed what I could do with my breath and I felt how my motivation could allow me to live healthily even in a not-so-ideal environment. There are ways to fix the world’s problems, and I will play a part in figuring out those solutions. But what I can do now is find peace and find hope in my own movement and, as Mishler says, “breath lots of love in, and lots of love out.”

Kacey Musgraves is undoubtedly the reigning princess of country music, and it looks like she is trying to expand her territory to other areas of pop culture. Move over Mariah Carey! We have a new Christmas debutant in town. “The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show” premiered on Amazon Prime on Nov. 28 and included A-list celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Camilla Cabello and Lana Del Rey. With Kacey’s charisma and Christmas cheer, the show is a combination of singing, dancing and audience laugh tracks.

This is not the first time Kacey has gotten into the Christmas spirit. In 2016, she released her first Christmas album, directly following the success of her first album, “Same Trailer Different Park.” But that more or less fit the mold. With this year’s “Christmas Show,” Kacey created a visual work of art as well as fresh festive tunes. Of all holiday-themed art we have seen this season in the mainstream, it definitely pushes the envelope for what a Christmas special could be.

Part of what accomplishes this is the original music made for the show. Dabbling in downtrodden tunes is not new for Musgraves, but there seems to be an extra sparkle on songs such as “Christmas Makes Me Cry” and “Glittery,” the latter being a duet with singer Troye Sivan. In both of those songs, Musgraves explores aspects of the holidays that are less talked about. Sometimes Christmas doesn’t fix everything. Opening gifts or seeing old friends may lift us up for one moment, but the next we are back to feeling lonely or unfulfilled. Musgraves provides clarity when talking about these messier emotions of Christmas.

We can also see the complete opposite, where Musgraves lets her charisma shine on screen, in original songs like “Present Without a Bow” or the show’s finale “Ribbons and Bows.” This is where Mariah Carey really needs to watch out. The reason Carey’s classic “All I Want for Christmas” was and still is so popular is because it’s just plain fun. I dance around to “All I Want for Christmas” with my friends, my family and sometimes with complete strangers. Musgraves’ festive bops do the same. While, yes, there are emotionally negative aspects of the holidays sometimes, these upbeat songs remind us of how the holidays are a time to forget your responsibilities and just dance. 

Musgraves also leans into the traditional Christmas spirit both in song and in style. One of the highlights of the show is Musgraves’ duet with acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Lana Del Rey. Their rendition of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” There were many other celebrity guests, such as James Corden, Leon Bridges, Camila Cabello, Fred Armisen, Zooey Deschanel and Dan Levy, all contributing to the program in their own unique way. But the star guest appearance was none other than Nana, Kacey Musgraves’ actual grandmother! She rings in the finale, saves the plotline and almost steals the show.

But in my opinion, what really steals the show is the fashion. Kacey just really pulls it off at all times. It’s not surprising—one has to be fashionable if they are the princess of country music—BUT Kacey puts a festive spin on her regular style of western-chic. Kacey changes for every scene, allowing the audience to witness an evolution of gowns, sparkly rompers and pantsuits. Each outfit is perfectly curated to her music and visually adds to the show.

It is through those visuals that Musgraves brings us deeper into her world. The celebrity cameos are fun, but it’s hard to say that any other musician would be able to stand in the middle of a production like this. At least they probably wouldn’t do it as stylishly, as comically or as heartfelt as Musgraves. While there are some more grounded moments throughout the show, in the end, it reminds us of the joy of the holidays and the reason we celebrate at all.

Beyond All Reason, SLU’s only all-female a cappella group, hosted the first ever Aca-Prom on Friday evening in the St. Louis Room. This included dancing, performing and a competition between the various SLU a cappella groups.

Friday’s Aca-Prom was the first that SLU had ever seen. SLU currently has five different a cappella groups, all providing different styles of music and group set-ups. The Aca-Prom was the largest a cappella event put on this year so far. Beyond All Reason (BAR) hoped to create a sense of community between SLU’s various groups through an evening of fun.

Anna Renner, a sophomore BAR member, says the reason for hosting the event was “to make sure the big community of a cappella groups could come together and have fun.” This was achieved as the Aca-Prom was attended by members of every a cappella group. From this large turnout, Renner says BAR “definitely plan[s] on making this an annual thing…[it] should be easier especially because Megan [Doehner], who planned it, is a sophomore, so she can help implement it in the next few years.” There is hope outside of the a cappella community as well that Aca-Prom will continue in the future.

Grace Hoover, Erinn Miller and Becca Townley, all first-year students, plan on attending Aca-Prom again, even though they’re not in any a cappella group. Miller says this comes from the event being “a great mixture of both a prom style and then intermingling the a cappella aspect.” This can be seen in how the event was set up: a main dance floor that lasted the whole of the event, but also time allocated for an Aca-Court to be crowned. 

The Aca-Court is similar to the way regular proms crown a prom king and prom queen. Each a cappella group was able to nominate candidates for both Aca-Queen and Aca-King. The crowned Aca-King, representing Six Eight A Cappella, was Aaron Frazee. From the Bare Naked Statues (BNS), the Aca-Queen was crowned, Aaron Brown. Frazee says it was “an honor to be crowned the first Aca-King of SLU.” The Aca-Court was voted on by every person in attendance after each candidate was introduced. 

Also nestled into the program of events was time allocated for each a cappella group to perform. Performances were seen from Six Eight, BNS, Aastha A Cappella and BAR. Attendee Erinn Miller enjoyed this part and says that it was “a really cool way to introduce the a cappella groups that I didn’t know about … I feel like it was a good way to showcase more of them.” Other than just showcasing the groups, this also helped the groups get more familiar with each other.

That effort was seen throughout the week at other a cappella functions, such as Decadences Aca-Hangout at the clock tower on Thursday. This event invited a cappella groups from the St. Louis area, including Maryville University and Washington University in St. Louis, and allowed them to mingle but watching each other perform. The Aca-Hangout was attended not only by Decadence, but also BAR and Aastha from SLU.

Standing-room-only concerts are a great option for college students. They usually offer cheaper tickets, are located in intimate venues and allow people to interact with others. These events do have pros and cons associated with them, though. Here are some tips and tricks on how to have the best experience in the highly-chaotic environment of standing-room-only concerts.

Prepare. Before you even get to the venue, there are a couple things to prepare for. Most importantly, make sure you have enough food and water in your system. Drink water the entire day leading up to the concert, and make sure you have a solid meal a few hours before you go. This does seem like common sense, but if you show up to the venue and happen to get a really good spot, you won’t want to sacrifice it just because you’re thirsty or hungry. Prepare early so you can be in your spot for the long haul.

Pack. Another thing to do in preparation is to bring what’s needed but don’t over do it. You probably shouldn’t bring a large bag, although a Kavu or a satchel might be able to provide you with the essentials. If you’re afraid of getting thirsty during the performance, bring a water bottle if allowed, or other small things like chapstick and kleenexes. What’s important, though, is to not sacrifice movement. To get a good spot or to be able to easily move through the crowd, you will want to be spry and flexible. Have only a small bag if necessary, but keep your items minimal. 

Crowds. The hardest part of a standing-room-only concert is by far the crowds. It really is like Black Friday except rather than a playstation, you’re fighting for spots to stand. On top of this, once your spot is secured, others rarely have respect for your personal space. Be prepared to get pushed, nudged and jumped on. 

You do have some ways to cope, though. First, be solid. I always like to plant my feet, and if someone is trying to force me back or sideways so that they can take my spot, I fight back. Isaac Newton’s third law of motion says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction—I try to make that come true in a concert venue. When someone pushes you from behind while you’re dancing, back up on them. When someone is trying to scoot you to the left, lean into them toward the right. Be forceful. You probably worked hard to secure the spot you’re in, and you’ve probably been standing there for over an hour—don’t let them take it from you.

While you are being solid, though, still stay fluid. If there is an inevitable need to move, then go with the flow. Defend your honor, but remember that you’re there to have a good time. Usually people get the idea that they can cut through the crowd parallel to the stage. While it is annoying, just let them through.

Dance! With that being said, don’t forget to just let the music move you. Yes, you are surrounded by hundreds of strangers, but what you are there to experience is the musical act. Don’t be afraid to dance! The other concert-goers might be older and have cooler clothing, but you bought the tickets to have a good time. You will never see these people again, so go all out! Sway, jump, do whatever makes you happy. Just remember to not impede others’ space unless they impede yours first.

As long as you think ahead, plant your feet and dance, you’ll be on track to a fun evening!

SLU has some promising, but not surprising, styles to look forward to this fall. When walking down West Pine, be sure to find the casual statement pieces, that is, comfortable fall wear with a striking accessory or garment.

When thinking of fall styles, many of us think of picking pumpkins in flannels, going on crisp walks in riding boots and snuggling up with a cozy sweater. This fall’s style seems to stay the course with all of that—but with small twists. Many people are afraid of experimenting with a new trend, but some are bored of the same-old fall fashions. Are you thinking of adding a large workshirt, a head bandana, or experimenting with patterns? Lucky for you, some students gave insight to what your plan of action for a fresh fall look could be.

Becca Cary, a senior studying communication, told me she identifies as having a “comfy-caszh[casual]-cute” style. Cary plans on utilizing all the common staples of fall fashion such as t-shirt dresses, infinity scarves and a good sweater. But she also plans to experiment a little: “I really want to try out thigh-high socks, like under boots… I think it’d be really cute if the sock matched the sweater.” Cary told me this fits within her style—looking put together, but not overdone. By leaning in to current styles and also putting a small spin on it, you get the best of both worlds.

That was similar to the theme I found with junior Joe Solaro, who studies philosophy and Italian. Solaro tells me one of his main fall staples is his fur-lined denim jacket. But this autumn he wants to add another layer—literally and figuratively. Solaro claims he has his set style, which really does not see major changes from year to year, but he wants to add a few new statement-making pieces. Among those are leather boots or a work shirt, which is a long-sleeve button up usually made of a thicker material with a more angular form. Of course Solaro plans on making outfits with the common flannels and sweaters – he just wants to “add complexity to an outfit,” and to “venture beyond just a solid color.”

This may seem tricky, but one good investment in an item you have had in mind for a while—like those thigh-high socks for Cary, or that work shirt for Solaro—could be your way in to Fall 2019’s casual statement of style. As Cary recommended for all SLU students, “Take more risks” … “It’s such an easy way to show your personality more.”

When thinking of how fall fashion will be in 2019, the answer is that it will be pretty similar to the past. What will make a difference is the unique ways SLU students will make their casual statements with a not-so-subtle accessory or garment.