With so much sadness and worry surrounding the impact of COVID-19, staying positive isn’t always easy. So, for this week’s Detroit culture and events roundup, we’ve pulled together a few mood boosters and other ideas to help you shift your mindset — even for just a few minutes. Keep reading to find virtual learning sessions, lively dance and yoga classes for all levels, the jams that power Detour readers and, because why not right now, museum-approved cat videos.

Planning an event or want to share an activity that’s getting you through right now? Email us at events@detourdetroiter.com.

Move:

💃🏼 Dance it out: Eisenhower Dance Detroit is making sure dance lovers can still get their groove on during quarantine. The Rochester-based studio is offering free Zoom and Instagram classes Monday through Friday. Join in on jazz, barre, ballet and fun partner workouts to get those legs moving.

🧘🏿‍♂️ Mindfully in motion: Feeling stressed these days? Citizen Yoga founder Kacee Must and her team created virtual yoga classes for both kids and adults. Try guided meditation sessions, early-bird Coffee + Philosophy discussions… and finally get the hang of a handstand! Rent videos on your own time with citizen [AT HOME] (rentals are between $5-$8). Or, try citizen [LIVE] — the schedule changes weekly (Monday through Sunday). Register via Citizen Yoga Royal Oak on MindBody. Find online package options and offerings through the website or Instagram page. 

🏋️️ Fitness fun: The Fit Park in Ferndale is another way to support local businesses and stay in shape while you’re stuck indoors. Owners Mark and Thea Parker are leading the way in virtual high-intensity workouts, weight training and yoga during COVID-19 Monday through Sunday on Zoom. Try the virtual class special: 21 classes for $21. Click here for the online schedule.

Listen:

🎧 We asked, y’all answered: Detour readers told us the music that’s keeping them going through quarantine. The new Fiona Apple album, “Fetch the Bolt Cutters,” is Liz Blondy’s current soundtrack. Misha Stallworth is listening to â€œThe Virus” and the rest of Detroit MC Miz Korona’s new EP — yes, she had the name long before the corona. And Jennifer Caudill is keeping the beat with â€œI’m Good,” from GriZ. Any of the above will also put you in the right headspace for the start of a new week under lockdown. 

🎤 It’s all about the “Little Things”: Metro Detroit artist Mikael Temrowski, better known by his stage name, Quinn XCII, collaborated with Chelsea Cutler in Louis the Child’s latest hit single. The song, “Little Things,” reminds us “that every single second is golden.” Get an instant mood boost by tuning in on Spotify or wherever you like to listen!

Learn:

🎨 Enjoy some arts and laughs: The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is closed right now, but you don’t need to abandon that art knowledge altogether! Explore virtual art collections and enjoy kid-friendly art lessons and storytelling by New York Times best-selling children’s author Peter H. Reynolds. Oh, and the DIA’s video of Detroit battle rappers Marv Won and Quest MCODY discussing Kehinde Wiley’s “Office of the Hussars” will definitely put a smile on your face.

📸 Become a Photoshop pro: Darkroom Detroit is hosting an intensive workshop Friday, May 1 through Sunday, May 3 via Zoom taught by Don Werthmann, professor of photography at Washtenaw Community College. This hands-on course is geared toward beginner and intermediate skill levels. Participants must have a portable computer with capacity to support the most current version of Adobe Photoshop CC. Starts at $150 (pay-what-you-can).

🖋️ Calling all journalists: Reporting on COVID-19 is no joke. Get tips from senior reporter at BridgeDetroit, Louis Aguilar, who has been in the biz since 2004. Aguilar will discuss best practices with the Maynard Institute’s Felecia D. Henderson on Zoom Tuesday, April 28. This is a free event. The recorded session will be available to view on Facebook, LinkedIn and Medium.

Watch:

🍿 Netflix and social distance: Raise your hand if you’ve set a personal record for binge-watching this past month — there’s no shame in that game! Even if you’ve been trying to limit screen time, why not escape with a comedy set in Detroit? Netflix dropped  â€œCoffee and Kareem,”  April 3, starring Ed Helms (“The Office”) as a local cop, James Coffee, and Golden Globe winner Taraji P. Henson (“Empire”) as his new girlfriend, Vanessa Manning. Manning’s 12-year-old son, Kareem, played by Terrence Little Gardenheigh, is not a fan of his mother’s new suitor, and hatches a plan to hire criminal fugitives to take him down. 

😻 For all you cool cats and kittens: The Detroit Film Theatre (DFT) is fulfilling every cat-lover’s dream with the 45-minute extravaganza, Best of CatVideoFest. You can watch from the comfort of your couch (or cat tree)! The fest starts at just 99 cents (proceeds go toward the DFT). Click here for more films streaming from DFT @ Home.

Cook and Sip:

👩‍🍳 Let’s bake a cake: Ready for some kitchen science? Selden Standard pastry chef Lena Sareini and her brother, Ali, add humor and an occasional chubby cat cameo to their step-by-step baking vids. Hop onto Sareini’s YouTube channel, and you too can become a sourdough pro!

🍷 Wine no more: You don’t really need an excuse to pop open a bottle of wine, but here’s a good one: The Royce Detroit’s “At Home with Wine” series. To participate, purchase the featured wine via the Royce’s curbside pickup or delivery, and jump on Zoom for a lively discussion with the winemakers. Check out the next event on Wednesday evening, April 29, via the Royce Facebook page.

Connect:

💻 Chat over coffee: Ladies in digital, this one’s for you — take a moment out of your day to network with like-minded professionals with Detroit Together Digital. The next weekly chat commences Tuesday, April 28, at 3:30 p.m. on Zoom.

Give and Take:

🍜 Detroit restaurateur spearheads donations: Lady of the House’s Kate Williams is leading a restaurant workers relief program, providing free dinner boxes and essential items like masks and toilet paper for hospitality workers who have experienced lay-offs, furloughs or reduced hours. Pickup days are Monday through Friday, 5 to 7 p.m. (availability is on a first-come, first-served basis). Click here to donate to the LEE Initiative.