I am proud to welcome you to The Arts Center’s eighth season, themed “Stories.” At the root of the performing arts are stories. The stories told in the performances themselves. The stories each of us in the audience bring to the experience. The stories we leave with, as we create a shared history, are new every time. The stories we’ll share as memories in the future.

The Arts Center’s mission is to simultaneously showcase eclectic global talent and support the local arts scene – the interaction between both visitors and residents informs the ever changing story of the UAE. Through platforms like Rooftop Rhythms, Hekayah, and NYUAD faculty and student performances, as well as commissioned works like Al Raheel | Departure, we support and develop locally based voices, while international guests from across the region and across the world bring their own specific approaches. We invite you to join us on a rich artistic journey. The path may be new and unfamiliar. It may be comforting. It may be unexpected or challenging. No matter what path you travel, we hope you will always find that it is dynamic and diverse. The Arts Center is a place for discovery and for new inspiration.

We are grateful for The Arts Center’s partnerships with the US Mission to the UAE, who support youth educational activities; and Van Cleef and Arpels, our partner on Dance Reflections.

As always, we invite you to approach our season with a sense of openness, curiosity, and adventure. Once the lights go on after the performance…what stories will you take with you?

Bill Bragin
Executive Artistic Director
The Arts Center

Mission & Vision

Showcasing music, theater, dance, film, poetry, family programs, and interdisciplinary performances that defy definition, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi presents distinguished professional artists from around the world alongside student, faculty, and community productions.

As a place that both presents and develops work, The Arts Center is a vibrant laboratory for performance that fosters a dynamic relationship between the arts, scholarship, and the community.

Located on the NYU Abu Dhabi campus, The Arts Center presents the University with compelling programming that connects to the curriculum, using the arts to illuminate and enliven the scholarly pursuits of students and faculty. The Arts Center creates a dynamic space for research and investigation, encouraging the active pursuit of knowledge for audiences as well as visiting artists.
Excellence, collaboration, creativity, accessibility, innovation, respect, and understanding are The Arts Center’s core values, striving to be a beacon on the international arts landscape, firmly rooted in the region but with a global reach.