This Sunday, the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi will host the world premiere of the immersive show Pearl Diver's Daughter as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival.
The production is the result of a collaboration between two Emirati women, author Maitha Al Khayat and composer Eman Al Hashimi. Together, with the American contemporary dance group Company E and Lebanese singer-songwriter Mayssa Karaa, they have created a fantastical story, told through music, movement and magic.
A historic source of livelihood in the Arabian Gulf for generations, pearl diving has played a significant part in the history of the UAE. While many have paid tribute to the tradition, Pearl Diver's Daughter casts it in a new light, with unexpected elements of fantasy and magic.
“When I write stories, whether for children or for young adults, I always love to spark curiosity,” Al Khayat tells The National.
“I like the idea of the audience leaving and asking themselves questions and want to find out more about what they have seen.”
Al Khayat is an author and illustrator who has published more than 100 children’s books, some of which have been translated into English and Turkish and used in curriculums at schools in the UAE. Her book, My Father’s Date Palm Trees was nominated for best picture book illustrations at the Zayed Book Award in 2020.
When Al Khayat was first approached by the American Embassy in Abu Dhabi to write a story about the adventures of a pearl diver, she was introduced to Paul Emerson — founder of dance troupe, Company E.
The initial concept she was presented with was an adventure of a pearl diver and his daughter who wants to carry on the family tradition. However, Al Khayat, whose family in previous generations were pearl divers and traders, didn’t connect with that story and chose something she felt was more authentic.
“It's not about women empowerment as much as it's more about family relations and connections and sacrifices,” she says.
“I really wanted to highlight that because in the UAE, since the past, and even right now, the things that tie families together are our sacrifices, how they help each other, and the communication and connection between them.”
Al Khayat's show is the tale of a diver who comes across a legendary pearl. As the embodiment of a spirit, the pearl gives the diver a choice. He can capture it and return to land, becoming wealthy at the cost of his daughter one-day drowning at sea. Or he can stay at sea in the form of a dolphin and remain there to save her.
“We wanted it to have an aspect from the UAE in terms of the pearl diving element,” adds Al Khayat. “We also wanted something to merge cultures together so that it could it could mean something to the UAE or to the Middle East but also it could mean something else to another country internationally.”
Music and dance play crucial roles in the performance and Al Hashemi says creating the score was challenging and fulfilling. .
“You really have to live the story itself in order to imagine it and be able to compose it,” Al Hashemi says. “Sometimes I imagined myself as the daughter, sometimes I imagined I am the sea itself, or the father or the pier. I had a lot of imaginations during the composing and this is what I came up with.”
Al Hashimi has composed and written lyrics for several operettas and films and has performed across the Gulf as a pianist. She also represented the UAE at the World Expo in Milan in 2015. The Emirati composer used some traditional musical elements from the UAE when creating the score, but wanted to leave room to evoke a sense of fantasy and magic, too.
“We are not doing any documentaries here, we're doing fantasy,” she says, adding that every audience member will interpret the performance in their own unique ways.
Al Hashimi explains that scoring a production with several acts was more complex than her previous work composing and arranging socres for film.
“To make a full (production), with different (music) and for each act, where there should be specific type of music, rhythm — that was a challenge, I cried a lot,” she laughs.
“It was a big challenge but I succeeded. This is the good part.”
Al Hashimi hopes that the story and her music will lift audiences on a jounrey that lasts well beyond the on-stage experience.
“What I really want is for the audience to share with us their own fantasy,” she says.
“I'm curious. I want to know what they felt. I want to ask each person who would ever watch the show — where did you go? Because when it comes to imagination, the sky's the limit. And they might inspire me to do something else in the future with their own imaginations.”
Pearl Diver’s Daughter will be performed on Sunday at The Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi. More information is at abudhabifestival.ae/programme/pearl-divers-daughter
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
