10 things to do today: Attend the Ballet Grand Gala at Emirates Palace, shop for deals at the Dubai Shopping Festival, and more

Courtesy Ayyam Gallery

Nick Wall / Paramount Pictures, Pathé and BBC Films via AP

Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Courtesy Iris Yas Island

Delores Johnson / The National

Courtesy Dubai Tourism

Greg Allen / Invision / AP

Courtesy Popular Productions

Hassan Bahsoun / Courtesy The Workshop

Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for January 5, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun.

Abu Dhabi

Ballet performance

Attend the Ballet Grand Gala, where Opéra national de Paris dancers, featuring dancer Dorothée Gilbert, and first soloists Hugo Marchand and Hannah O'Neill, will present a classic repertoire including Romeo et Juliette, La Sylphide et Le Corsaire and more. Check out our interview with dancer Germain Louvet.

Tonight, 8pm, from Dh300, Emirates Palace auditorium, Abu Dhabi; Tomorrow, 2pm and 8pm and Saturday, 6pm, from Dh280, Madinat Theatre, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, www.virginmegastore.me

Dubai

Art exhibition

See the exhibition Thresholds, in which art critic Murtaza Vali has curated a showcase of works by Sharjah-based painter Mouteea Murad that experiment with the use of mathematics in geometric abstraction, placing emphasis on space and dimension. Pictured: Trial No 128, The Morning Butterflies Journey

Daily until Saturday, 10am to 6pm, today; noon-6pm on Saturday (closed Friday), 11 Ayyam Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, 04 323 6242, www.ayyamgallery.com

Nationwide

New movie

Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep as the title character, is the story of a wealthy New York heiress who dreams of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice. Comedy drama, also starring Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson, Nina Arianda and Stanley Townsend. Check out our review on page 5.

Screening in cinemas across the UAE. (PG-13)

Abu Dhabi

Film screening

Register now to attend a family-friendly screening of A Christmas Carol as part of the Cinema Space series. The 1951 British film, by Brian Desmond Hurst, stars Alastair Sim as curmudgeonly businessman Ebenezer Scrooge, who has no interest in humanity, especially at Christmas. He is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, to teach him about generosity and forgiveness.

Saturday, 4pm, free with registration, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com

Abu Dhabi

Networking event

Register to attend the next Business in Heels meeting. The ladies’ networking group is celebrating new beginnings with a get-together focusing on goals to achieve in 2017. Come prepared to discuss your goals and build an accountability network of people to help reach those goals.

January 17, 6.30pm, Dh90 includes refreshments, Iris, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.businessinheels.com

Abu Dhabi

Guest talk

Register now to attend Seeds of Hope, a talk at NYU Abu Dhabi by Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace. She will speak about her experiences in nature, to help give a deeper understanding of the world around us.

January 14, 5pm to 7pm, Conference Center, NYU Abu Dhabi campus, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, register at nyuad.nyu.edu

Dubai

Shopping event

Shop for great deals at the Dubai Shopping Festival, which features mega sales in traditional retail outlets such as malls, plus outdoor markets, pop-up fashion shows, fireworks displays every weekend, raffles, prizes, rewards, live entertainment, food trucks and more.

Daily until January 28, various locations in Dubai, www.visitdubai.com

Dubai

Concert

Get tickets to hear Elton John and His Band return to the UAE this month, as the legendary British musician presents his Wonderful Crazy Night Tour. Hits include Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, I'm Still Standing and Your Song.

January 20, gates open at 5pm, from Dh295, Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai Outlet Mall, Dubai, www.platinumlist.net

Dubai

Stage show

Get tickets now for a performance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Popular Productions brings the classic Eric Carle book to life along with three other Carle stories – The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse and The Very Lonely Firefly – with the help of 75 puppets to thrill children and their parents.

January 13 to 15, 1pm, 3.30pm and 5.30pm on January 13; 11am, 2pm and 4pm on January 14 and 15, from Dh150, Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, www.hungrycaterpillarshowdubai.com

Dubai

Art exhibition

Check out the final day of the exhibition The Land Needs Ironing, in which Majd Kurdieh showcases works that combine art and literature, and features cartoonish characters that speak for the artist, who is part of the Syrian diaspora. Pictured: An image by Majd Kurdieh

Ends today, 10am to 6pm, The Workshop, Villa 45, Street 23B, off Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah 2, Dubai, 04 341 2595, www.theworkshopdubai.com