How Heavy Metal Bands Are Helping Preserve an Ancient Instrument

The music scene has welcomed a surprising and uplifting pairing - heavy metal bands performing with majestic church organs. The recent Organic Doom gig featuring Arð and Pantheïst with the 1860 Father Willis organ at Huddersfield town hall was a smashing success, introducing a new audience to the captivating fusion of doom metal and the ancient instrument. Beyond the beautiful music, this collaboration aims to preserve pipe organs across the UK, offering a contemporary context that showcases the unique capabilities of these historic instruments.

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Boy With Down Syndrome Brings Joy by Nailing 'Whitney Houston Challenge'

Ethan, a 12-year-old from Ocean, New Jersey, became an overnight sensation after an unforgettable moment at his school assembly. The challenge was to hit a drum beat precisely during Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," and Ethan nailed it perfectly. His peers erupted in cheers, chanting his name in the gym auditorium. The heartwarming scene unfolded at Township of Ocean Intermediate School and quickly went viral online. Ethan has Down syndrome, but that didn't stop him from becoming the star of the event. As the crowd egged him on with chants of "Ethan, Ethan, Ethan," he waited for the perfect moment in the song before striking the drum with confidence. Christopher Amato, the school's principal, described it as a "powerful and organic moment of inclusion, acceptance, trust, kindness, and joy." The video has since attracted hundreds of thousands of likes and comments. One person remarked on how much kindness and joy children can bring into the world. Ethan's mother, Danielle, expressed her excitement over her son's unexpected fame. She said they are thrilled about all the positivity he's been able to spread. Speaking to Upworthy about Ethan's life at home and school, she painted a picture of a vibrant young boy who loves music and movies. He's one of five siblings and enjoys spending time at the beach with his family. Describing his personality, Danielle said Ethan has an innate ability to sense when someone needs comfort. He loves singing songs from Moana and Rihanna and often pretends to play instruments alongside his stepdad. At school, he's known as "the mayor" because everyone wants to be his friend. The Whitney Houston challenge happened during an event called "Almost Anything Goes," where students compete in various activities. Ethan watched others attempt the challenge before stepping up himself without any prior practice. Danielle also shared insights into raising Ethan after learning he had Down syndrome immediately after birth. Despite initial shock from medical staff treating it as bad news, she couldn't be happier with her son’s impact on their lives. According to her, having a brother with special needs taught her other children acceptance and compassion. For Danielle, Ethan's viral moment isn't just about hitting a drumbeat perfectly; it's about kindness and inclusion being celebrated in their community.

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Scientists Track Brain Changes In Mice Using Virus To Reveal a Potential Treatment For Depression

A new study in mice may shed light on how psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, appears to help people with depression: by breaking the brain’s habitual loops of negative thinking. Scientists at Cornell University used a specially engineered rabies virus to track how a single dose of psilocybin altered brain circuits in mice. The changes they observed help explain the promising results seen in human clinical trials, where psilocybin has shown potential as a fast-acting, long-lasting antidepressant. “Rumination is one of the main points for depression, where people have this unhealthy focus, and they keep dwelling on the same negative thoughts,” said Alex Kwan, a biomedical engineer at Cornell. “By reducing some of these feedback loops, our findings are consistent with the interpretation that psilocybin may rewire the brain to break, or at least weaken, that cycle.” More than 300 million people globally live with depression, a leading cause of disability. Current treatments don’t work for everyone and often come with side effects. That’s driven interest in alternatives like psilocybin, which is also being studied for its anti-inflammatory effects. In 2021, Kwan’s lab showed that psilocybin could reshape brain connections, with some changes lasting for weeks. But it wasn’t clear which circuits were being affected or why some neurons grew more connections while others lost them. To find out, Kwan and his team, led by biomedical engineer Quan Jiang, used a modified rabies virus that traces connections between neurons by carrying fluorescent proteins. In the study, mice were given either a single dose of psilocybin or a placebo. A day later, they were injected with the virus. One week after that, the researchers examined their brains. What they found was striking. Brain regions involved in sensory processing became more connected with those responsible for decision-making and taking action. Meanwhile, connections within the cortex — where repetitive negative thoughts often originate in humans — were reduced. That shift, the researchers believe, may help explain how psilocybin loosens the grip of ruminative thought patterns. The study also found that brain activity itself may help guide where psilocybin does its rewiring. That opens up the possibility of combining psilocybin with noninvasive brain stimulation techniques to more precisely target specific circuits. “Our study hints at an exciting avenue for future research to combine neuromodulation with psychedelics to precisely target [and rewire] specific circuits,” the researchers wrote. While the findings are in mice and need confirmation in humans, they offer one of the clearest looks yet at how psychedelics may work at the level of brain wiring. The research was published in Cell.

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'The Voice' Season 26 Winner Is Back With New Music, a Global Tour and a Holiday Duet With Bublé

Sofronio Vasquez's life changed overnight in December 2024 when he won Season 26 of The Voice — and he hasn’t slowed down since. The win was historic. Vasquez became the first Filipino singer to win the U.S. version of the singing competition, and it marked the first-ever victory for his coach, Michael Bublé. “My Filipino brother, you are the hope of so many people,” Bublé told him during the finale. “It has been such an unbelievable journey. I’m just so happy for you.” Before becoming a household name, Vasquez was studying to become a dentist. That path changed after the death of his father — the man who introduced him to music. To honor his memory, Vasquez moved to the United States and committed fully to his dream. That dream came with a $100,000 prize and a recording contract. Less than two months later, he announced a 20-stop concert tour. The tour kicked off in March 2025 and wrapped in October, spanning North America, the Philippines and Dubai. “Those international shows taught me so much,” Vasquez told the Asian Journal News in October. “Music really does cross every boundary you can think of.” He added, “I’ve watched people who don’t speak English connect emotionally with a song, and that’s powerful. Every country, every audience has given me something different.” The 26-year-old has also been releasing new music. Since The Voice, he’s put out several singles, including “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” “Nandito Lang,” and “Patient.” He’s also leaned into holiday classics, releasing “Maybe This Christmas” with Michael Bublé and a version of “My Grown Up Christmas List” with David Foster. Beyond the studio and tour venues, Vasquez has also been in demand for major public performances. In July, he sang “America the Beautiful” at the Belmont Derby Invitational in New York. Three months later, he performed at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City during an NFL game between the Chiefs and the Commanders. Now, Vasquez is returning to the stage that launched his career. He’ll appear on The Voice again during the Season 28 finale on December 16, debuting a brand-new single titled “Superman” — written by Bublé himself. From a dentistry student chasing a dream to a rising star performing around the world, Sofronio Vasquez is making the most of his moment — and shows no signs of slowing down.

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Back Online: Global Satellite Network Resumes Tracking Animal Movements After Three-Year Pause

A project that aims to build a kind of “internet of animals” is back in action after a three-year hiatus — and scientists say it could reshape how we protect wildlife. Project ICARUS, short for International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space, has resumed operations following the successful November launch of a satellite carrying a crucial receiver. The system collects data from tiny, wireless tracking sensors that scientists around the world have attached to animals as varied as sea turtles, bats, pelicans and wild dogs. The goal is ambitious: to create a real-time, planetary-scale view of animal behavior, migration, and survival. “It’s a global collaboration of scientists trying to understand animal movements and the information from animals,” said Martin Wikelski, the project’s lead and director of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany, in an interview with Mongabay. ICARUS started in 2020, launching its equipment aboard a Russian spacecraft. But technical glitches and, later, geopolitical fallout from the war in Ukraine brought the system to a halt. Since then, the data has gone silent — until now. With a new satellite now in orbit, the ICARUS team plans to spend the next three months testing the system before bringing it fully back online. Unlike traditional GPS trackers, ICARUS tags are lightweight and capable of capturing detailed environmental data — including temperature, humidity, pressure, altitude, and acceleration — in addition to location. This makes them ideal for studying everything from migration patterns to disease outbreaks to how animals respond to human threats like habitat loss or poaching. It’s the scale that makes ICARUS different. While wildlife tracking isn’t new, ICARUS is the first major effort to unify efforts from researchers all over the world under a single system, allowing for global collaboration and data sharing. “This is really grasping at the interaction of animals globally,” Wikelski said. “It’s almost like understanding dark matter and things that couldn’t be seen and studied before.” In South Africa’s Kruger National Park, for instance, ICARUS has already helped conservationists reduce the number of endangered African wild dogs being killed by snares meant for other animals. “With this system, we saved more than 10-15% of the population over the past few years,” Wikelski said. The project also has applications far beyond conservation. For example, if a few ducks start showing abnormally high body temperatures, researchers can investigate the area for signs of a virus. In another case, an unusual number of pelican deaths led to a timely identification of avian influenza. There were challenges at the outset, Wikelski said. Many scientists were hesitant to share their data on a global platform. But growing threats to biodiversity have shifted attitudes. “There’s life disappearing from our planet,” he said. “All these mobile species that move between countries and continents, we don’t know where they disappear. So it’s crucial we understand what’s happening so that it’s easy to remedy them.” Once the ICARUS network is fully operational again, researchers hope it will offer a clearer window into the lives of the planet’s most elusive and threatened animals — before it’s too late.

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How One Man’s Holiday Obsession Turned Into America’s Largest Free Light Show

At Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park, the glow of the setting sun is the only light that isn’t Nathan Bentley’s doing. “I do everything,” he says, half-laughing, half out of breath, as he pushes a portable toilet down the sidewalk. A few minutes earlier, he’d been setting out donation boxes, wheelchairs, and strollers. In a few more, he’ll be rallying the crowd with a nightly countdown. “Welcome to Bentleyville, 2025!” he yells into a handheld mic as the gates swing open and kids sprint past him. “No sense getting tackled by a 7-year-old,” he jokes. Once inside, visitors are immersed in a 22-acre Christmas spectacle, with more than six million lights blinking, twinkling, and pulsing across walkways, tunnels, trees, and rooftops. Bentleyville is the largest free walk-through light display in the United States. “Bentleyville is completely an accident,” says Bentley. “It’s just an accident that turned into a hobby that turned into a circus.” The circus began modestly enough in 2001, when he decorated his home in Esko, Minnesota. It got bigger when he moved to nearby Cloquet. But it also got more complicated. “The traffic, it was unbelievable,” he says. “When you're on a first-name basis with the St. Louis County Sheriff's Department and the State Patrol, you know you've drawn some attention to yourself.” In 2008, Duluth’s mayor stepped in and offered Bayfront Park as a new home for the display. Bentley jumped at the chance — and filled the space tenfold. “Just my personality; I love to do things that other people don't do,” says Bentley, who runs an emblem and screen printing company when he’s not stringing up lights or moving port-a-potties. He’s not doing it all alone. About 2,600 volunteers keep Bentleyville running every year, along with financial support from Duluth’s business community. Since moving to the park, the light show has only gotten bigger. Its centerpiece, added in 2010, is a towering metal Christmas tree pulsing with lights in sync with music. “This is the tallest manmade tree in the United States,” Bentley says, standing proudly at its base. “It's 128 feet tall, weighs 17 tons.” Bentley seems to know every number by heart. Over 12,000 extension cords. 100,000 zip ties. Three semi loads of firewood for 30 fire pits. “We prepare for 350,000 people who come through Bentleyville each year,” he adds. That’s almost four times the population of Duluth. And most of those visitors are coming from far away — about 60% travel more than 100 miles to get there. The Santa line alone stretches endlessly. “There's hundreds and hundreds of people in line tonight,” Bentley notes. “Everybody's got to see the big man.” Some visitors come back year after year. Some get engaged under the lights. Some name their dog Bentley. Bentley’s favorite moments are often the small ones. Like when a family asks him to take their photo in front of the giant tree. He takes the shot, hands back the phone, and quips, “You know, these are pretty good even without me in 'em.” As the moon rises over the glowing park, Bentley finally finds a moment to catch his breath. It’s the one light in Duluth he didn’t install. But during the holidays, it’s hard to find many others.

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This Performer Turned School Assembly Bangers into a National Celebration

It’s not every day a performer can rile up a crowd at Glastonbury and then win hearts on Songs of Praise, but James B Partridge has managed both — and he’s done it by reviving the most nostalgic soundtrack of all: the humble school assembly. The Dorset-born music teacher and singer, now 34, has become an unlikely sensation thanks to his “Primary School Assembly Bangers” — a setlist of retro hymns and school singalongs that has struck a powerful chord with audiences across the UK. “The love of music had to come from the assembly hall,” Partridge said. “We had fantastic tunes that we sang together and were taught these by memory, so that’s why to this day they’ve been stuck in my head.” Partridge, who grew up in Poole and attended Stanley Green school in Oakdale, started posting his top 10 assembly songs online during the pandemic lockdowns. The videos — complete with lively performances and audience participation — quickly snowballed into a national following. Now, he’s performing sell-out shows, including at the Bournemouth Pavilion, where audiences leap out of their seats to belt out childhood favourites and join in the actions. His latest tour, The Big Christmas Assembly, blends Christmas carols with feel-good pop hits, channelling both nostalgia and festive cheer in equal measure. “It’s been absolutely incredible to see people’s reaction,” he said. “It can be quite emotional singing some of these tunes that you might not have heard for years, reminiscing on times gone by, reaching a hand out into the past and bringing it into the present.” Partridge’s parents, Lyndy and Mark, have watched the journey unfold with pride. He grew up singing in his local church choir and as part of the Bournemouth Symphony Youth Chorus, and his talent stood out early. “He was very, very good — you could hear him from the back pew,” Mark recalled. “He was fairly quiet as a child,” added Lyndy. “But he’s very outgoing and quite extrovert on stage.” Mark admitted they didn’t expect his son’s nostalgic project to take off the way it has. “When he first started talking about doing assembly songs, I don’t think there was anybody — including ourselves — who thought, ‘oh yeah, I’m sure he’ll be performing at the Pavilion soon.’” But what started as a lockdown pastime has grown into something deeper — a shared longing for the joy and community of collective singing. “A lot of people cry out for some sense of community that no longer exists,” said Mark. “That lost sense of communal singing that the school assembly of your childhood days brought out is represented in James’ show. People come out feeling revitalised.” That message has resonated particularly strongly during the holiday season. For Partridge, the tour is about more than nostalgia — it’s about connection. “Christmas is all about connection, it’s all about community, it’s all about tradition,” he said. “All of those things are linked with music.” As a performer, teacher, and champion of musical joy, James B Partridge has managed to tap into something rare: a collective memory that brings strangers together to sing their hearts out — and feel like kids again.

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Drone with Thermal Camera Rescues Lost Dog in New Jersey, Just Before Snowstorm Hits

A New Jersey woman got her dog back after nine long days of searching — and just in time, before a snowstorm blanketed the area in eight inches of snow. Samira Gross was running out of hope. Her 3-year-old dog, Dakota, had vanished after chasing an animal in Johnson Park, a sprawling 500-acre greenspace that stretches across Piscataway and Highland Park. “Not knowing if she was OK for nine days was just so emotional for me,” Gross said. With time ticking and temperatures dropping, Gross turned to a company called Apex Eagle Drone Services, based in Williamstown, New Jersey. The company specializes in using drones with thermal cameras to locate lost pets. Chris Sherrard, who operates the drones, searched Johnson Park on Saturday using thermal imaging. That’s when something caught his eye. “Came across this marsh, a little pond next to it. And wouldn’t you know, there was one heat signature in the middle of all the reeds in there,” he said. “It was really awesome. Honestly, my heart started pounding.” But finding Dakota was only the first challenge. Reaching her proved far more difficult. She was stuck in an area surrounded by dense reeds, some nearly three meters tall. A friend of Gross’ family volunteered to go in, trudging through thick mud and overgrowth while Sherrard guided him remotely. “I had to guide him every step of the way with the thermal imaging, because he literally couldn't see two feet in front of him,” Sherrard said. “I really believe the timing was just crucial, because now there's eight inches of snow in that area.” Once rescued, Dakota was rushed to the vet. She had lost weight, needed IV fluids, and had a few scrapes, but was otherwise OK. Her tail didn’t stop wagging. “We were just so happy to have her home,” Gross said. “I told them that, like, I thank you. Like, from the bottom of my heart, yes, I'm very, very grateful for their services.” The drone search cost Gross $350 — an amount she called more than worth it for getting Dakota back alive.

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This 90-Year-Old Volunteer Just Won an Award, and Got a Bus Named After Her

After 19 years spent guiding countless patients and visitors through the halls of Nottingham’s City Hospital, Margaret Wildgust has earned more than a few smiles — and now, a major honour too. The 90-year-old, who celebrated her milestone birthday this summer with what she jokingly called a “living wake,” has just been named the hospital trust’s Volunteer of the Year. And in a fitting tribute to her years of dedication, one of Nottingham’s number 17 buses — her favourite route — will soon bear her name. “I’ve got to 90 and I can still do something,” she said. “People say I don’t look 90, but I do feel it sometimes.” Twice a week, Margaret shows up to the hospital for her volunteer shifts, where she serves as a meet-and-greet guide for patients and visitors who need help finding their way. “It makes me feel wonderful,” she said. “It’s a lovely feeling. I feel as if I’ve done a bit of good.” Her path to the role began nearly two decades ago when the supermarket she worked at was taken over. After seeing volunteers during her own hospital visits, she decided to give it a try. “I said to my daughter, ‘I’m going to do that,’” she recalled. Since then, she’s become a fixture at City Hospital — one who, in her own words, knows “every nook and cranny.” She’s known for her warm humour, helpful directions, and festive spirit — especially at the hospital’s annual mince pie party, where her flashing Christmas jumper is a regular hit. “People ask me about the flashing jumper,” she said, laughing. “They say, ‘Margaret, are you going to flash for us this year?’” But above all, it’s the human connection that keeps her coming back. “It’s a people thing. I do like people,” she said. “I have a bit of fun with them when they come in. If they have a long way to go I’ll just say something like, ‘If you follow the yellow brick road…’ and that will make them smile — and that’s what it’s all about.” Despite now getting a lift into work, she still insists on taking the bus home — a small ritual she’s held onto for years. Soon, one of those buses will bear her name. And while most people her age are long into retirement, Margaret has no plans to stop. “I love every minute of it,” she said. “When I come here, I come alive. I’ll keep coming as long as I’m able.”

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Baltimore Cyclist Turns Lost Hubcaps Into Unique Art

When Barnaby Wickham hops on his bike in Baltimore, he’s not just out for exercise. He’s on the hunt for hubcaps. What started nearly two years ago with one lost hubcap has grown into a collection of more than 700, most of them gathered during his regular cycling routes around the city. But for Wickham, 54, it’s not just about collecting trash. It’s about turning roadside litter into large-scale public art. “I love to cycle. I love Baltimore,” Wickham said. “There’s just enough hubcaps and other things like car grills to be interesting, but not so many that it’s too easy.” He’s made Christmas wreaths, a giant fish, and even a 16-foot-tall Snoopy head using the discarded pieces of plastic and metal. All of it is assembled in his front yard and stored in his garage. His method is simple: expanded metal for structure, zip ties to fasten the hubcaps, and a healthy dose of imagination. “It’s all held together with zip ties,” he said. “Hubcaps are filled with slots or holes, and so it’s easy to get a hold of them to hold them in place.” Each find gets logged. Wickham uses Google Maps to pin the exact locations of his discoveries and keeps a running list of “hubcaps in the wild.” When others spot one, they’ll often text him a tip—but he insists on picking it up himself. That’s part of the fun. “I think it’s sort of the excitement of the hunt, for one thing,” he said. Wickham, who works in marketing for a defense technology firm, credits his wife, Kate, with being the support crew. She helps during construction and keeps an eye on safety. “I’m just support team, and occasionally the cautious person who says, you can’t drive on this road, you can’t bike on this road,” she said. “So I’m just more kind of supporting his love of trying new things.” The city itself seems like a natural fit for this kind of project. Baltimore has a long tradition of embracing eccentricity, from cult film director John Waters to the American Visionary Art Museum, known nationally for showcasing self-taught artists. Wickham’s art falls squarely into that tradition. It’s large, bold, and rooted in the city’s streets—literally. The Snoopy piece is about 6.4 meters wide. And while most of his materials come from Baltimore, he’s collected a few on trips to see his son at Kent State in Ohio. He even found one on a business trip in Rome. “I was like, oh, I collect these. I’m just going to take this back with me,” he said, recalling how he had to explain himself to a confused bike tour guide. “And I showed her a photo of the wreath, and she was like: ‘Oh, OK.’ Whenever anyone hears about it and understands it, they’re onboard.” Last year, he donated two of his hubcap wreaths—one to the city, another to a nonprofit. But for all the art, the real joy may be the conversations. Wickham says people often stop him mid-ride to point out hubcaps they’ve seen, just to help. On one occasion, a man flagged him down urgently just to let him know another hubcap was nearby. “It was clear to him that I was collecting these things, and all he wanted to do was help,” Wickham said. “It starts a lot of conversations, and it’s just something that people love to talk about.” What began with a single piece of roadside trash has become a full-fledged community project—one zip tie at a time.

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French Fans Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th Birthday With 'Pride And Prejudice' Fantasy

The music is soft, the posture upright, and the smiles perfectly polite as dozens of people in Regency-era formalwear move in synchrony across a dance floor in the French capital. It could be a scene straight from Pride and Prejudice — but it’s not 1815 in Bath, it’s 2025 in a community centre in Paris. The occasion? A full-costume ball celebrating the 250th birthday of Jane Austen, the iconic English novelist born on December 16, 1775. Organized by historical dance teacher Cécile Laye and her company Chestnut, the event drew about 50 attendees, mostly women, eager to waltz, curtsy, and connect with Austen’s world — one square dance at a time. “I have been dancing for five years now, performing various historical dance styles. What I enjoy about Regency-era dances is that I feel as though I am reliving a scene from one of Jane Austen’s novels,” said 47-year-old Virginie Ussi, who wore a hand-sewn purple Empire-style dress based on a historical pattern. Austen’s popularity needs little explanation in the English-speaking world, where “Janeites” have long celebrated her works with fan festivals, walking tours, and costume balls. But this year, Austenmania is making noticeable inroads in France, where such events are becoming more common — and more crowded. In Ligueil, a small town of just over 2,000 residents in central France, the public library expected 30 people to show up to its first Jane Austen weekend. They got 120. "We didn't think the event would be this popular," said local volunteer and dancer Fred Delrieux. The library is now planning a sequel for 2026. Back in Paris, the Chestnut ball offered participants a chance to not just read Austen, but live in her world for an evening. Dancers bowed, changed partners, and smiled graciously as they followed Regency choreography, a ritual that once signaled social status, propriety, and — sometimes — the beginnings of courtship. “Jane Austen loved to dance,” said Laye. “She loved dancing so much that all of her novels include very long dance sequences, with dialogue that really moves the plot forward.” That’s not just a literary detail. In Regency England, dancing more than twice with the same partner at a ball was a clear signal of romantic interest — a coded tradition that Austen wove into every one of her books. Today, Austen’s appeal spans mediums and generations. Some fans come through the novels, others through cinema. For many, it was the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice — yes, the one with Colin Firth’s famous pond scene — that kicked off a new wave of fandom. The series drew more than 11 million viewers and inspired dozens of dance groups in its wake. “People really love that feeling of connecting to what they’ve seen in the films,” said Charlotte Cumper of the Jane Austen Dancers of Bath. “They watch the adaptations and think ‘I want to dance like that.’” Others come through costuming. “Wearing a costume makes you feel even more like you're travelling back in time for the duration of a weekend,” said Ussi. Her fellow dancer Vanessa Bertho agreed: “Dancing in costume really allows you to perform the movements as if you were a woman of the Regency era, with all its restrictions and advantages.” Bertho, a primary school teacher and devoted Sense and Sensibility fan, wore a long blue dress she bought at the Jane Austen Festival in Bath. But not everyone at these balls is a bookworm. “We’ve got some members who probably haven’t even read one of her books,” said Cumper. “Some come through the historical dance route. Some just want to find a hobby. And this looked like fun.” The French, it turns out, are relative newcomers to Austen’s world. According to classics professor Marie-Alix Hediard, early translations in France skewed her work toward romance and watered down her sharp social commentary. That limited her literary reputation on this side of the Channel. But that’s changing. In April, a group of fans launched the Jane Austen Society of France, aiming to build a proper community of French Janeites. Even outside formal societies, Austen’s influence is everywhere — from Clueless and Bridget Jones to Netflix’s Bridgerton. On TikTok, the hashtag #JaneAusten has hundreds of millions of views, filled with memes, fan edits, and reviews. “You don’t have to get into Jane Austen through academia,” said Jane Austen: Visual Encyclopedia co-author Claire Saim. “You can enter her world through Bridgerton.” For Schorn, the Paris barista and longtime Austen fan who danced at the Chestnut ball, the appeal is timeless. “I think that as the state of the world, as the plight becomes heavier, as pockets thin, people are actually seeking comfort and are more likely to come here.” And comfort, it turns out, can look a lot like stepping into a tailcoat or empire gown and dancing to the rhythm of a pianoforte. As Austen herself once wrote, “To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.” Two and a half centuries later, plenty still are — with the dancing, with the novels, and with the world Jane Austen built.

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