Attend a BreakTHrough You event in Dubai

BreakTHrough YOU events bring together established and new artists every month, with the final show before Ramadan being held in Dubai on June 27.

the comedian Bronwyn Byrnes. Courtesy BreakTHrough

If you’ve mastered an instrument, written your first book or are a first-time filmmaker, a new mixed-arts platform in Dubai might help bring attention to your skills.

BreakTHrough was launched in March by the musician Fabian Martin, of the UAE-based band Behold the Locus, and Elena Solina, the band’s artist manager, to support emerging artists in different fields. To that end, a monthly event called BreakTHrough YOU has been bringing together esta­blished and new artists.

What’s on this weekend

June's event is being held this weekend, the final show before Ramadan and has a line-up that includes the established UAE stand-up comedian Salman Zahid Qureshi, who will join Bronwyn Byrnes, an Australian-born comic and theatre actor. Byrnes has performed with Dubomedy's all-female troupe Funny Girls and appeared as an extra in Mission: Impossible 4, Switch and the MBC Arabic drama 04.

The poet Danabelle Gutierrez, who released her first book I Love To Be the River (available on Amazon), will recite poetry accompanied with a video, while Sharif Maghraby, the co-founder of the acoustic fusion band Dahab, will be strumming his guitar to his poetry. The poet Hiba Rasheed, who writes about spirituality, introspection and injustice, will be sharing her latest work with the audience.

The Dubai-based pianist Michele Gelmini, who composed the song Trillionaire for Fashion TV (it was released by Di Più music in Italy earlier this month), will play some of his latest pieces at the event. Michael Fillon, the lead singer of the UAE-based rock band Sandwash, has signed up to play, too. And the 4 Monks, a new ensemble of multidisciplinary artists, will be premiering their singer Mangal Suvarnan's song All of My Days.

There's also a short film segment: L'appel Du Vide by the UAE-based filmmaker Neeraj Mehta and A Day in the Life of Stephanie by the freelance media professional Priyanka Geriya will be screened.

A focus on new talent

“The entertainment and arts scene in Dubai has cliques and doesn’t see much mixed-art interaction,” says Solina. “And while we have all these big, international bands heading down for concerts and shows, we were lacking a space for grass-roots talent.”

Artists vying to perform at BreakTHrough YOU events have to post their creations on BreakTHrough YOU’s Facebook page and the founders select who gets to go on stage.

“We are open to any type of art, there are no restrictions,” says Solina. “If someone has their album or book out, we help give them their break and give them an audience.”

Future collaborations

So far, more than 200 people have attended the shows in Dubai.

Solina says they aren’t just aiming to provide a one-time platform but want to create a network and database that would be useful for artists trying to launch their careers.

“We want to create steady resources for artists who struggle to get the recognition or connections to make it in these areas. They are also trying to encourage “inter-art collaborations”, she says.

“These events can be used to brainstorm and find people who can work together on projects. Perhaps people who write, direct and make music might come together to make a film. That would be interesting.”

• The BreakTHrough YOU event is on June 27 at The Courtyard Playhouse, Al Quoz, Dubai, from 7pm to 9pm for an entrance fee of Dh50. Email [e-mail]