For its 10th season, The Arts Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi has prepared a programme that takes several cues from its decade-long experimentation at the space.
The calendar is as cutting-edge as it is eclectic, with 55 performances including a satirical Emirati play, debut appearances by artists from around the world and a number of returning favourites. It has been curated under the theme Looking Back and Looking Forward.
“We always start with how we feel about the work and how we think it will connect with audiences here,” says Bill Bragin, executive artistic director of The Arts Centre.
“There are certain topics which often filter through the programmes, such as heritage and identity and cultural hybridity. We also consider how the artists will connect with the university classes, since in addition to performances for the public, they also visit university classes and give workshops and talks. Overall, we're looking to always include a broad geographical and stylistic mix; a range of artistic disciplines; a range of venues and scales; and balance the returning artists with new visitors or new projects.”
Highlights include Hamour Doesn’t Leave the Cubicle, a play directed by NYU Abu Dhabi alumnus Reem Almenhali and written by Ahmed Almadloum. The play touches upon the absurdities of a workplace and resonates on a universal level, even though it is grounded in Emirati culture. It will take place at The Black Box on October 18 and 19.
The programme will also feature artists who, Bragin says, have “made big waves around the world” and will be making their UAE debut at NYU Abu Dhabi. These include Turkish singer Gaye Su Akyol, who is on a bill with Syrian rock band TootArd for a performance at The Black Box on September 19 and 20.
On February 13, The Arts Centre will be holding its first-ever Tamaas Festival. Cuban musician Cimafunk and Congolese electronic act Kokoko! are set to play outdoors at the East Plaza. Egyptian musician and DJ Abosahar, and Moroccan duo Aita Mon Amour, meanwhile, will be playing at The Black Box. “I can't wait to see the dance parties which will explode when they hit The Arts Centre stages,” Bragin says.
Known for his unique take on AfroCuban funk, Cimafunk says he is looking forward to devising a playlist based on the audience interaction at The Arts Centre.
“I sing mainly in Spanish but perform for many people that don’t speak Spanish,” he says. “We actually don’t have a firm set list before shows. We try to read the crowd and the energy and choose songs at that moment and in an order that can move people musically. Music goes beyond words – it’s about the rhythms, the tones and the movements. So I’ll be enjoying my time in the UAE and adapting my performance to what I feel can connect with the people.”
The Catalina singer notes that the performance will be his first in this part of the world and that he is looking forward to making his Middle Eastern debut. “I’m fascinated by the history and culture of UAE and I look forward to sharing my history and culture with the people,” he says. “Music brings us together and I’m sure we’ll all connect through the funk.”
Abosahar, too, says he is looking forward to performing his music for the first time in the UAE. Often referred to as the King of Trobby, he is known for his genre-defying soundscape that blends Egyptian shaabi timbres with electronic music.
My music is more than just sound; it’s my life story translated into melodies and rhythms
Abosahar
“I’m excited to debut in the UAE and bring the sound of Trobby to a new audience,” he says. “My music is more than just sound; it’s my life story translated into melodies and rhythms. Performing live is where I feel most at home, and I’m eager to see how the energy of the UAE will blend with the spirit of Trobby. I can’t wait to create a connection that transcends borders and makes people feel good.”
Other first time performers include Japanese installation artist and choreographer Kiori Kawai, as well as US composer Aaron Sherwood, who is also a faculty member at NYU Abu Dhabi. The two founded the performance project Purring Tiger in 2011. Although the group has performed around the world, Purring Tiger has yet to feature in the UAE.
“After calling Abu Dhabi home for a number of years now, yet always showing our work internationally, we are very excited to premiere a piece in our adopted country,” Kawai tells The National.
Purring Tiger will be performing their latest work, Mujo, which is Japanese for impermanence. Mujo comprises a multichannel film installation, and a live performance. It will take place amid sand dunes more than an hour away from NYU Abu Dhabi, with transportation available from the university’s welcome centre. The performance will be held on November 1 and 2.
“This piece could only happen here and is deeply inspired by the desert and our time in the UAE,” says Sherwood. “Doing a performance out in the sand dunes is something we've never done before. We're looking forward to seeing how the audience responds to the embodiment of the dance and the music which are reflecting the nature of the desert.”
Ahead of Mujo, Egyptian singer Zigzag Ghanim will lead an ensemble in a performance that will put a contemporary twist to classical Arabic poems from the Abbasid era.
While The Arts Centre’s 10th season will mark several exciting debuts, there will be a number of performances by returning artists.
“Sometimes, an artist visit is so successful that you know you want to invite them back even while they are here,” Bragin says. “This was the case when we brought Cie Herve Koubi for the first time to perform What the Day Owes to the Night in 2022. The response was so strong that we added a second show which sold out in about a week. Immediately, fans were clamouring for us to bring them back, so it felt perfect that we should open our anniversary season with them.”
The dance troupe will be presenting Sol Invictus. Latin for 'The Unconquered Sun', the performance takes its name from the Syrian and Roman god of the sun as well as a Roman festival that marked the end of the winter solstice and looked towards warmer and sunnier days.
“Their work is such a beautiful combination of virtuoso athleticism and lyrical grace,” Bragin says. “But it's not just a spectacle – Sol Invictus also subtly and thoughtfully speaks to the centrality of the arts and community as something to hold on to during turbulent times.”
The Trisha Brown Dance Company is also returning to The Arts Centre. The postmodern dance troupe will be performing two pieces at the Red Theatre on November 15. As its title suggestions, In the Fall looks into the physicality of the act of falling down. It is choreographed by Noe Soulier, marking the second ever commission by a choreographer other than the legendary US dancer Trisha Brown. The second piece, Working Title, is one of Brown’s classic choreographies.
“Last time we were at The Arts Centre we danced on the rooftops around campus, in the lobby of the Art Center, in The Black Box … placing dance everywhere but the actual stage,” says Carolyne Lucas, a member of The Trisha Brown Dance Company. “It was so special to be able to infuse the campus and the community with dance in the less obvious spaces.
“This time around, we are excited to bring a more traditional repertory programme to the stage and build on the foundations laid on our last visit.”
Another returning favourite is Maysoon Zaid. The American-Palestinian comedian performed at NYU Abu Dhabi in 2017 and then took part in the university’s online Reconnect series in 2020, during the pandemic.
“We have been talking to Maysoon Zayid about coming back since she was here in 2017,” Bragin says. “Between the business of her touring and acting schedule, and then the pandemic, it's taken longer than we expected, though we did broadcast her performance on April 1, 2020 to launch our Reconnect series.
“She connects with so many audiences through her comedy, in both Arabic and English, as she talks about her many identities: as an Arab woman; a Muslim woman; a Palestinian woman; a daughter; and a person of determination with cerebral palsy. She was incredible with our students in the classroom and, more than anything, she's hilarious.”
A full list of the performances is available on NYU Abu Dhabi's website
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Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
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Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
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Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
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What are the influencer academy modules?
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The five pillars of Islam
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
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UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
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Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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