What to expect from the 10th season of The Arts Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi

Looking Back and Looking Forward features 55 performances, including several UAE debuts

The Trisha Brown Dance Company will be performing two pieces at the Red Theatre on November 15. Photo: The Arts Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi

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.

“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