Past Events
April 2020
Reconnect. An Online Series
Watching Performances from our Archives. Together.
Maysoon Zayid
Stand-up Comedy
Revisit the hilarious Maysoon Zayid’s Abu Dhabi Debut.
March 2020
Cancelled
The Storyville Mosquito - Kid Koala
Co-commissioned by The Arts Center
Live animated graphic novel performed, filmed, and scored in real time
Jazz Concert. For Members of The Arts Center or by invitation only.
John Beasley’s MONK’estra Quartet
Presented by The US Embassy Abu Dhabi
The acclaimed pianist expands the classic jazz tradition adding contemporary harmonies, unstoppable grooves, and a contagious sense of fun.
February 2020
2nd Edition
ElectroFest
Presented by the NYUAD Music Program
Cutting-edge electronic music, video and sound art, and improvisation.
Middle East Premiere
CARTOGRAPHY - Kaneza Schaal & Christopher Myers
Co-commissioned by The Arts Center
Stories of Reinvention
NYUAD Music Recitals Series
Presented by the NYUAD Music Program
NYUAD Music Faculty in Concert
NYUAD Music Recitals Series
A fresh and rich program of contemporary classical music recitals by faculty from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Music Program.
NYUAD Music Recitals Series
UAE Debut Presented by the NYU Abu Dhabi Music Program
Solo Piano for One and Encore for Four
Piano Recital
A piano recital featuring Ioannis Potamousis with guest pianists: Elizabeth Han, Matthew Quayle, and Christos Plachouras, performing works by Beethoven, Koumendakis, Liszt, and Wilberg.
January 2020
6 ground breaking bands across 3 stages
Barzakh Festival - Sofiane Saidi & Mazalda + AMMAR 808 + BCUC + Bokante + La Dame Blanche + NOON Play Umm Kulthum
Discover the music
A musical meeting place of genre-shattering artists in a new single night, multi-stage format.
UAE Premiere
Al Raheel | Departure - Reem Almenhali & Joanna Settle
Co-commissioned by The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi and Cultural Foundation
Contemporary Performance from the UAE
December 2019
UAE Debut - Piano Recital
Awadagin Pratt
Presented in partnership with the NYUAD Music Program and the NYUAD Institute
Internationally acclaimed pianist Awadagin Pratt performs Beethoven, Franck, and Liszt.
November 2019
Celebration of culture and heritage
Hekayah | The Story
UAE National Day Celebration - Presented under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development
Hekayah | The Story brings together poets, singers, and musicians.
CinemaNa
Contemporary Arab Cinema
Of Fathers and Sons - Screening
Presented by Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
Talal Derki returns to his homeland, where he gains the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life over two years.
Middle East Premiere
DATA NOT FOUND - Kaki King
Co-commissioned by The Arts Center
Multimedia concert by visionary guitarist and composer
Concert for Change the World Model UN Emirates 2019
Francesco De Gregori
Returning to the UAE, by popular demand
Francesco De Gregori performs the hits that made him one of Italy's most successful artists of all time.
CinemaNa
Contemporary Arab Cinema
Mafak (Screwdriver) - Screening
Presented by Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
A man experiences a physical and emotional toll when he returns home after spending 15 years in an Israeli jail.
October 2019
Middle East Debut
BIPED / How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run - CNDC d’Angers with Gavin Bryars
Merce Cunningham Centennial Celebration
Two masterpieces by one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century
CinemaNa
Contemporary Arab Cinema
What Comes Around - Screening
Presented by Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
In one of the poorest neighborhoods of Cairo, the community is the only way for hope.
Annual Mainstage Student Production Presented by the NYUAD Theater Program
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
By Bertolt Brecht. Directed by Orlando Pabotoy
One of Bertolt Brecht's most famous epic plays in a new production by NYU Abu Dhabi’s Theater program.
NYUAD Music Recitals Series
NYUAD Music Recital Series
NYUAD Music Faculty in Concert
Presented by the NYUAD Music Program
A fresh and rich program of contemporary classical music recitals by faculty from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Music Program.
September 2019
UAE Premiere - Arab / East African Crossroads
Sufism vs Modernism - Fathy Salama with Sheikh Mahmoud Tohamy / Zanzibari Taarab & Kidumbak - Dhow Countries Music Academy
NYUAD Music Program Collaboration - Proudly supported by Al Burda, a platform for Islamic arts and culture
An extraordinary double bill exploring Arab sounds of the African continent, from Egypt to Zanzibar.
Middle East Debut
Flight - Vox Motus
Based on Hinterland by Caroline Brothers. Adapted by Oliver Emanuel
Immersive Storytelling, Told in Miniature
NYUAD Music Recitals Series
NYUAD Music Recital Series
Song Recital
Presented by the NYUAD Music Program
Clare Lesser and David Lesser present late 19th – 21st century song.
Middle East Debut
Ethiopian Dreams - Circus Abyssinia
5th Season curtain raiser
Heart-stopping acrobatics, juggling, clowning, and contortion to live music.
Middle East Debut
Ethiopian Dreams - Circus Abyssinia
5th Season curtain raiser
Heart-stopping acrobatics, juggling, clowning, and contortion to live music.
Middle East Debut
Ethiopian Dreams - Circus Abyssinia
5th Season curtain raiser
Heart-stopping acrobatics, juggling, clowning, and contortion to live music.
August 2019
World Premiere
Ansaf - Sima Dance Company
Commissioned by The Arts Center
Dubai’s leading contemporary dance company premiere Ansaf, a new work by acclaimed choreographer Alaa Krimed.
June 2019
UAE Debut
Footloose! The Musical
Presented in Partnership with Abu Dhabi Choral Group
A high energy show full of dancing and legendary 80’s rock anthems.
April 2019
Hip Hop Dance
Danser Casa
Choreography: Kader Attou and Mourad Merzouki
Two pioneers of French hip hop dance reunite to create a new work for the freshest dancers of Casablanca’s vibrant scene.
CinemaNa
Written & Directed: Abu Bakr Shawky
Yomeddine
Presented by Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
A Coptic Christian leper, his 10-year-old Nubian Muslim sidekick, and their loyal donkey, leave the confines of their leper colony for the first time.
Student-Led Dance Project
Vitae
Contemporary Dance
A choreographic debut, an original score, and ten committed dancers in a student-led project.
UAE Debut
ink - Camille A. Brown & Dancers
Dance
African-American social dance: Tap, Jazz, Modern, and Hip-Hop.
Presented by Maestro Rony Rogoff
Chamber Music Concert Series
Hosted by the NYUAD Division of Arts and Humanities
An evening of chamber music with leading UAE based virtuosos.
Season 7
Rooftop Rhythms
Poetry / Spoken Word / Original Music
The Middle East’s longest-running poetry open mic night
Fifth annual student-led event
TEDx NYUAD
Talks
TEDxNYUAD is part of the TEDx series, a program that brings the spirit of TED’s mission of ideas worth spreading to local communities around the globe.
CinemaNa
Five hit Arab short films that made it to the Oscars
Arab Shorts Program
Presented by Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
Five hit Arab short films that made it to the Oscars
Manifold - A Festival of Musical Diversity - 2019
Presented by the NYU Abu Dhabi Music Program
An Evening of Flute and Piano
Music Concert
An evening of Middle Eastern and World Premieres!
Manifold - A Festival of Musical Diversity - 2019
Presented by the NYU Abu Dhabi Music Program
Sounds dis/placed
Music Concert
An evening of eclectic journeys
March 2019
Manifold - A Festival of Musical Diversity - 2019
Presented by the NYU Abu Dhabi Music Program
A soprano, a cellist and a pianist...
Music Concert
An evening of incredible trio works.
Broadway Anthems, Movie Classics, & more
An Evening with Alana Barraj
Cabaret Show
Celebrate stage and silver screen classics. Lebanese-American Alana Barraj performs in a one night only cabaret show.
Chamber Music
The Omer Quartet in Concert
Presented in partnership with the NYUAD Music Program, Chamber Music Abu Dhabi, and the United States State Department.
An evening of artistic excellence presented by the award-winning Omer Quartet
Part of Abu Dhabi Festival
Justin Kauflin
Jazz at the Festival
Piano extraordinaire performing his new album, Coming Home.
Barzakh Festival - 2019
A Festival of Music Between Worlds
Lekhfa / Altin Gün - Barzakh Festival Day 2
Egypt’s off-kilter sound of sonic grit and beauty meets funky Turkish psych folk rockers.
Egypt’s off-kilter sound of sonic grit and beauty meets funky Turkish psych folk rockers.
Barzakh Festival - 2019
A Festival of Music Between Worlds
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 / Alsarah & The Nubatones - Barzakh Festival Day 1
Nigeria’s Afrobeat crown prince meets Sudanese retro-pop queen.
Nigeria’s Afrobeat crown prince meets Sudanese retro-pop queen.
CinemaNa
Written by Rami Alayan. Directed by Muayad Alayan
The Reports on Sarah and Saleem
Presented by Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
Set in Jerusalem, Sarah and Saleem are having an extramarital affair that ignites a dangerous game of deceit between those who hold power and those who don't.
February 2019
The NYUAD Music Program Presents
ElectroFest 2019
Mini Festival
A vibrant multidisciplinary mini festival of cutting-edge electronic music, video art, sound art and improvisation.
World Premiere commissioned by The Arts Center
Cuban-Khaleeji Project - Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra + guests
With guests Yazz Ahmed (Bahrain - UK) + Boom.Diwan (Kuwait) + Malika Zarra (Morocco - France) + Ali Obaid (UAE)
A musical exploration of the Arab, Moorish, and North African roots of Afro Latin and Afro Cuban music, and its links to the seafaring music of the Arabian Gulf.
UAE Debut
Mambo - Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Valentine’s Day Dance and Mambo Dance Lesson
Relive the Palladium era of classic mambo with a Valentines dance starring four-time Grammy-award winner Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra.
CinemaNa
Written, Directed, and Produced by Humaid Alsuwaidi
Musk
Presented by Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
A cynical divorced man tries to reconcile with his 12-year-old aloof son.
UAE Debut
Autobiography - Company Wayne McGregor
Contemporary Dance
A cycle of choreographic portraits based on McGregor’s genomic sequence, illuminated through dance + live electronic music by JLin
Presented by the NYUAD Music Program
An Evening of Piano with Ioannis Potamousis and Guest Pianist Matthew Quayle
Piano Concert
Piano Recital with Ioannis Potamousis and guest Matthew Quayle, featuring works by Mozart, Debussy, Hadjidakis, Ravel, and Liszt.
Imagine Science Film Festival
Feature Film and Awards Ceremony
The Experimental City
Preceded by a Gallery Talk and the short film Seoul Machine City
The Minnesota Experimental City project was a futuristic attempt to solve urban problems by creating a full-size city from scratch in the isolated woods of northern Minnesota.
Imagine Science Film Festival
Shorts Film Program - Family Matinee
Conversations with Nature
7 Short Films - Preceded by a Gallery Talk
Sensations of plants! Oryxes going home! Unique human-animal bonds!
Imagine Science Film Festival
Shorts Film Program
Evolving Eyes and Revised Societies
7 Short Films - Preceded by a Gallery Talk
How we see the world shapes the world in turn.
January 2019
Imagine Science Film Festival
Feature Film
K2 and the Invisible Footmen
Preceded by the short film Ex Nihilo
Located on the border between Pakistan and China, K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth. For many climbers, it is an even greater prize than Everest, with limited routes, a steeper ascent, and a harder push to its summit.
Imagine Science Film Festival
Opening Feature
Three Identical Strangers
Preceded by the short film Mira
Three strangers are reunited by astonishing coincidence after being born identical triplets, separated at birth, and adopted by three different families.
4th Annual Edition
Short+Sweet Abu Dhabi 2019
Theater
Welcome to the world of Short+Sweet. A more creative world – ten-minutes at a time!
December 2018
Durub Al Tawaya collection of performances
Remote Abu Dhabi
Theater by Rimini Protokoll (Stefan Kaegi, Jörg Karrenbauer)
A performance walk in the streets and different venues in the city.
CinemaNa
Written and Directed by Annemarie Jacir
When I Saw you
Presented by Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
1967. The world is alive with change: brimming with reawakened energy, new styles, music and an infectious sense of hope.
NYUAD Attitude Dance Recital Vol IX
Attitude Dance Recital IX
Dance
This semester's Attitude Recital is bigger and better than ever.
UAE Debut
Yeol Eum Son Performs Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata
Sponsored by the NYUAD Institute in partnership with the NYUAD Music Program and with support from The Arts Center
Pianist Yeol Eum Son Performs Beethoven’s Hammerklavier as part of the NYUAD Institute's 10th Anniversary Celebrations.
In Honor of UAE National Day
Hekayah | The Story
Poetry & Song - 4th annual edition
Poets, songwriters, and musicians celebrate the UAE’s cultural diversity and explore their heritage.
November 2018
UAE Debut
Judo and Balance & Imbalance - Bereishit Dance Company
Korean contemporary dance + live pansori music
Martial arts-influenced contemporary dance by Korea’s internationally acclaimed, Bereishit Dance Company.
Interactive playground with live music for kids
Tangle – Polyglot Theatre
Family
Weave a colorful elastic world and contribute to a vivid and enchanting public play space.
Presented by UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development
Al Burda Award Ceremony
Award Ceremony and Performances
Now in its fifteenth edition, the Al Burda Award is a global platform in the field of Arabic and Islamic culture, capable of broadening cultural exchanges between peoples and civilizations.
CinemaNa
Directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji
The Journey
Presented by Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
Baghdad, 30 December, 2006. Sara, an unassuming young woman, enters Baghdad’s central train station with sinister intentions.
October 2018
Celebrating the Year of Zayed
Water in the Desert: A Zayed Legacy
In partnership with Cranleigh Abu Dhabi and the Ministry of Tolerance UAE
Based on Sheikh Zayed’s vision for a green desert, a new work featuring two opera singers and 80 school children.
UAE Debut
Chaâbi Flamenco - Juan Carmona and Ptit Moh
France meets Algerian
Bring your family and friends for a spectacular show filled with flamenco and chaâbi music, complete with dazzling instrumentalists, dancers, and vocalists.
UAE Debut
Chaâbi Flamenco - Juan Carmona and Ptit Moh
France meets Algerian
Bring your family and friends for a spectacular show filled with flamenco and chaâbi music, complete with dazzling instrumentalists, dancers, and vocalists.
World Premiere
Jinn
In partnership with The NYUAD Music Program and University of Surrey’s Centre for Emergent Media
A chreomusical work exploring the relationship between bodily movement in dance and its inherent musicality
CinemaNa
Directed by Karim Moussaoui
Until the Birds Return
Presented by Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
Three stories that plunge us into the human soul of a contemporary Arab society.
September 2018
UAE Premiere
Gatz - Elevator Repair Service
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald cover to cover
Gatz, the theatrical tour-de-force marathon adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Double Bill
Love and Revenge / A Tribe Called Red
Multimedia Electronic Music Concert
An audio visual double bill featuring Arab electro-pop and electronic pow wow music, both with powerful visual mixed visuals
Gulf Premiere
Dance - Lucinda Childs Dance Company
Choreography by Lucinda Childs - Music by Philip Glass - Film by Sol LeWitt
A thrilling multimedia collaboration by three pioneers who emerged out of one of the most vibrant and prolific periods in New York’s art world.
May 2018
Middle East Premiere
Shakespeare Theatre Company - Noura
By Heather Raffo | Directed by Joanna Settle
Hot off the acclaimed premiere in Washington DC and written and directed by the creators of Nine Parts of Desire. Noura is a beautifully constructed play that speaks to life as an expatriate and questions what "home" means.
Exclusive VIP Invitation
Shakespeare Theater Company's Noura
Middle East Premiere
CinemaNa
Written and Directed by Nawaf Al Janahi
CinemaNA - The Circle Screening
Presented by Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and NYU Abu Dhabi
Ibrahim, a poet and journalist discovers that he is dying soon from a fatal disease. He confronts his crook partner, Bader, and demands his share to make sure that his wife has a better life after he's gone. Shihab, a professional thief, forced by his boss to do jobs for him in order to pay off a huge debt, plans to quit the crime world to take care of his younger sister. They both meet accidentally and begin to see the world with different perspectives.
NYUAD Attitude Dance Recital Vol VIII
Attitude Dance Recital Volume VIII
Dance
NYUAD’s Attitude Dance Society presents their 8th Recital. Join us as we display a variety of dance styles from groups on and off campus ranging from hip hop to ballet. Definitely a must see event!
April 2018
Spoken Word Done Right
Rooftop Rhythms - Season 7
Poetry / Spoken Word
The Middle East’s longest-running poetry open mic shines a spotlight on some of the UAE’s most talented established and up-and-coming spoken word and performing artists.
CinemaNa
Written and Directed by Mohamed Ben Attia
CinemaNA - Hedi Screening
Presented by Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and NYU Abu Dhabi
Hedi is a young Tunisian man trying to figure out his place in the world. Plagued by indecision, he routinely submits to the wishes of his mother, including agreeing to her desire to place him in an arranged marriage and take a job as a car salesman. Things change, however, when he encounters Rim, an intriguing woman with an independent streak who inspires Hedi to take charge of his own life.
Broadway Anthems, Movie Classics, & more
An Evening with Alana Barraj
Cabaret Show
Celebrate stage and silver screen classics. Best known for her powerful vocals, Alana Barraj presents a reprise of some of her favorite moments with Abu Dhabi Choral Group (ADCG), original works, and folk & pop hits rounded off with some of her infamous banter.