What does it take to be a K-pop superstar?
Aspiring performers in the UAE will soon have the chance to find out, as the Korean Cultural Centre in the UAE teams up with the Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts (Dima) for a three-day workshop in Abu Dhabi later this month.
Running from August 20 to 22 at Dee Studio on Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad street, the K-pop Academy X Dima Dream School is part of the KCC’s wider K-pop Academy initiative. It also marks Dima’s first official visit to the capital. Known for training some of the biggest names in K-pop, including Zerobaseone’s Sung Han-bin, Hoshi of Seventeen and former IZ*ONE member Kwon Eun-bi, Dima will bring in both professors and student artists to lead the sessions.
The programme is designed to give participants of all ages a hands-on introduction to the K-pop industry, with focused sessions in dance, vocals and even video production. Each day is dedicated to a different group: youth (ages 10-18) on August 20, adults (over 18) on August 21, and children (ages 7-10) on August 22 (see full programme below).
Popular tracks from the Netflix animated series KPop Demon Hunters – including Takedown and Golden by Huntr/X and Soda Pop by Saja Boys – are part of the curriculum, along with fan-favourites such as I Need You by BTS, Blackpink’s Jump and Super Shy by NewJeans, selected based on a survey by the centre.
Beyond the music and the moves, the workshop also aims to lay the groundwork for a longer-term cultural and educational collaboration between Dima and UAE-based institutions.
“This, the first-ever professional K-pop education programme in Abu Dhabi, is a valuable opportunity for participants to learn directly from South Korea’s top instructors and experience the energy of K-pop,” said Lee Yong-hee, cultural attache of the South Korean Embassy.
Yu Mi-ran, Dima’s dean of international and admissions affairs and a professor in the department of K-pop, added: “We view Abu Dhabi as a key hub for expanding K-culture in new and creative directions. With our hands-on curriculum and experience in training global K-pop professionals, we hope to inspire and connect cultures through education.”
The workshop is free but requires prior registration.
Full programme
Wednesday, August 20 (Youth)
Dance: 1pm-3pm – Huntr/X and BTS
Vocal: 3pm-4.30pm – Huntr/X and BTS
Thursday, August 21 (Adults)
Dance: 1pm-3pm – Blackpink
Vocal: 3pm-4.30pm – BTS
Friday, August 22 (Children)
Dance: 1pm-3pm: Saja Boys and NewJeans
3pm-4.30pm: Video production
For more, visit korean-culture.org
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Most match wins on clay
Guillermo Vilas - 659
Manuel Orantes - 501
Thomas Muster - 422
Rafael Nadal - 399 *
Jose Higueras - 378
Eddie Dibbs - 370
Ilie Nastase - 338
Carlos Moya - 337
Ivan Lendl - 329
Andres Gomez - 322
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
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November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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