Four years after Cirque du Soleil performed Alegria more than 80 times to sold-out crowds in Dubai, the troupe returns with Dralion. Incorporating the 3,000-year-old tradition of Chinese acrobatic arts, the show makes its Middle East debut this week
The show
Following up on previous stagings in Dubai - before Alegria in 2009, there was Quidam in 2007 - Dralion isCirque du Soleil's 12th touring production. Pronounced "Dra-lee-on", the name is derived from two emblematic creatures: the dragon, symbolising the East, and the lion, symbolising the West. In this production, the four elements that govern the natural order take on a human form and are represented by colour: air is blue, water is green, fire is red, earth is amber.
The acts
Since Dralion is based on a Far Eastern theme, the show will feature some traditional Chinese elements, such as dragon and lion dances, reworked in the trademark Cirque du Soleil style. The traditional bamboo poles act also gets a modern makeover as six performers keep poles "in flight" overhead while performing acrobatic feats on the ground. Expect to see the diabolo, or Chinese yo-yo, in action, as well as some contemporary manoeuvres including an aerial ballet-with-hoop, or Hibana.
The costumes
More than 5,000 metres of fabric were used to create the 1,500 pieces used in the show - including more than 300 pairs of shoes, as well as hats and other accessories. Some of the outfits also incorporate some unusual material, such as horsehair, raffia, metal, window screen, emu feathers, crystals, Styrofoam, plastic, bubble wrap, fun fur, springs and an array of hardware items. The majority are custom-made for each artist, with artisans at the Cirque du Soleil costume workshop in Montréal working for more than three months on the project. There are four permanent members of staff on the Dralion wardrobe team, assisted by three local workers picked up in each city, responsible for repairing and maintaining the wardrobe.
The troupe
What started as a group of 20 street performers in 1984 is now a Quebec-based corporation, with 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 performing artists from about 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has performed in front of more than 100 million spectators in more than 300 cities in more than 40 countries on six continents. The Dubai International Film Festival screened James Cameron's 3D feature film based on the phenomenon, Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, in December.
Dralion will be performed in Dubai from Wednesday until February 16 at Dubai World Trade Center. Tickets start at Dh295 and are on sale at www.platinumlist.ae and www.tixbox.com. For more information, visit www.dralion.com
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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
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Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
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Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine