It was only a matter of time before someone combined the acrobatics of ice skating with the thrill of magic trickery. In fact, if the entire cast of Cirque du Soleil decided to pop on some skates, the result would probably be Magic on Ice. Produced by Steve Wheeler, "the world's premier ice-skating illusionist", the show is the headline event for Summer in Abu Dhabi, having done a lengthy run in the US.
The bar has been set high for this type of visual spectacle, with ever riskier routines being required to satisfy today's thrill-seeking audiences. Millions are often spent on production to provide the necessary sheen. But Magic on Ice, which is simply 18 skaters and some scary-looking contraptions backed by music and lighting, manages to deliver all the thrills without resorting to gloss. Unlike the venerable Cirque, there are no safety wires. And some of the manoeuvres, which are executed at high speed with just inches between the skaters and the unforgiving ice, are breathtaking.
There is no discernible plot. We simply move from one routine to the next via various sparkly velour ensembles (one of the major perks of skating). Highly skilled set pieces are punctuated by magnificently hammy magic tricks involving industrial machinery and strange, otherworldly sculptures. And the best part: it never takes itself too seriously. In fact, it's hilarious. Not in an arty, clown way. But in the way the performers negotiate the props.
There was the woman with the hoops. As she skated round the rink, a man threw her so many times we lost count, and she simply pulled them over her head and started spinning. All we could see was a neon blur. At one point, she even transformed into a giant Slinky. Pure brilliance.
Then there was the couple with the rope who swooshed calmly around the ice, the woman balancing on the rope - which the man was holding - using only her blade.
And finally, there was the troupe who looked like they'd strayed from Starlight Express, flashing torches at each other as a man and a woman pulled off terrific feats of balance in the middle.
One of the best acts involved a young man who clapped and danced his way around the rink before breaking into a triple spin and doing the splits in the air - just in case we'd forgotten he could skate.
But all this paled into insignificance when the magic started, and they wheeled yet another piece of heavy machinery on to the stage. It started with a trolley, which held a giant ice cube, held up by strange, metal tentacles. Up went the curtain, down went the curtain, and out popped a girl. All fairly basic illusionary tricks, but done with such flair that you couldn't not gasp. Next came a chariot, upon which a spike was erected. I won't ruin the surprise, but suffice to say there was a spinning girl involved. Then came an industrial-sized fan, followed by a large metal chest - chained up, naturally - with more people appearing and disappearing. And finally, the denouement: an inverted pyramid set alight, with a man chained up inside. Genuinely the most entertaining thing I have seen in a long time.
In the wrong hands, such an ambitious production could be the stuff of nightmares. But the show has such charm and the cast such spirit that it is difficult to find fault with its 60 minutes of thrills and spills.
There may be a couple of months of searing heat left, but for the the next two weeks at least, there is an absolute gem of a show at the Abu Dhabi Ice Rink. Parents be warned, though: you may be in for a hit of skating lessons come autumn.
Magic on Ice is at the Abu Dhabi Ice Rink, Zayed Sports City, daily from 8pm until August 15 (except August 9). Tickets are priced at Dh75 for children under 12, Dh200 for adults, and can be purchased from www.timeouttickets.com or by calling toll free 800 4669.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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