Upcoming Events
February 2023
Barzakh Festival 2023
1 UAE Debut and 1 Abu Dhabi Debut
ADG7 - Ak Dan Gwang Chil | Sahra Halgan
Boundary shattering global sounds
Korean shamanic folk-pop meets guitar-fueled Somaliland songs in an exciting showcase of cultural traditions.
Middle East Premiere
Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre: Last Ward
Contemporary Dance - With the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
Dance blends with theater in this highly-visual performance that reflects on the universal experience of facing death.
Manifold - A Festival of Musical Diversity - 2023
World Premiere
Michael Skillern: Two Hands, a Shell, and a Keyboard
Presented by the NYUAD Music Program
Solo percussion blurs the line between electronic and acoustic sounds.
Spoken word, poetry, live music
Rooftop Rhythms
11th Season
Speak your truth from the roof!
Piano Recital - Rachmaninoff 150th Anniversary Celebration
Rachmaninoff et.al
Presented in partnership with the NYUAD Music Program
Celebrating the 150th anniversary of composer Sergei Rachmaninoff
March 2023
UAE Premiere
Balimaya Project
With an opening set by Shilpa Ananth
Driving collective polyrhythms, blazing frontline horns, and virtuosic kora stylings collide, bridging Mandé music and culture with the sounds of Black London, while the dreamy landscapes of South India fuse with Soul, Jazz, and Electronic influences.
CinemaNa
Contemporary Arab Cinema
Black Box Cinema
Presented by the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
Enjoy a series of Arab short films curated by Black Box Cinema
Arab World Premiere
Bruce Liu - Abu Dhabi Festival
Presented by Abu Dhabi Festival
A thrilling program of classical and romantic highlights in a spectacular recital by the winner of the 2021 Chopin Piano Competition.
Recital Series
Haochen Zhang - Abu Dhabi Festival
Presented by Abu Dhabi Festival
A unique piano recital showcasing fearless imagination and spectacular musical mastery.
Accompanied by Benjamin Engeli on Piano
Leia Zhu - Abu Dhabi Festival
Presented by Abu Dhabi Festival
Sixteen-year-old violin prodigy Leia Zhu performs a beautiful repertoire of Mozart, Strauss, Debussy, Wieniawski and Sarasate.
April 2023
CinemaNa , Ramadaniyyat 2023
Contemporary Arab Cinema
Emirati Short Film Program
Presented by the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
A series of short films by Emirati filmmakers
Ramadaniyyat 2023
World Premiere
Faraj Abyad: Andalusian Love Story
In association with NYUAD Institute
Classical and contemporary Andalusian poetry inspires a set of original compositions
UAE Debut
FIQ! - Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger
Acrobatic Circus
An otherworldly collection of acrobatic feats, figures, colors, music, sketches, headspins, and choreography explode in a colorful visual world created by Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj.
May 2023
CinemaNa
Contemporary Arab Cinema
Under The Fig Trees by Erige Sehiri
Presented by the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
A screening of the film, Under The Fig Trees, followed by an online conversation with Tunisian French filmmaker Erige Sehiri.
Past Events
February 2023
Barzakh Festival 2023
2 UAE Debuts
CGS - Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino | Lemma
Boundary shattering global sounds
Ecstatic Italian pizzica tarantata meets propulsive Algerian Saharan rhythms in an exciting cross-boundary musical conversation.
December 2022
Screen Adaptation of NYUAD Theater Program’s Annual Student Production
Ōta Shōgo's The Water Station
Written Adapted by and directed by Abhishek Majumdar. Performed and Created by the Ensemble.
Movement, sound, and silence paint a vivid journey of migration and the act of leaving home, not as a choice, but in desperation.
November 2022
A Celebration of Culture and Heritage
Hekayah | The Story
UAE National Day Celebration
Hekayah | The Story brings together poets, singers, and musicians to celebrate UAE National Day
NYUAD Theater Program Fall Mainstage Production
Temporary People
A Multidisciplinary Docu-fictive performance grounded in Deepak Unnikrishnan's novel Temporary People
Explore the silence, rage, joy, and musicality of language in a collaboration that celebrates the vulnerability of Abu Dhabi's temporary people on stage.
CinemaNa
Contemporary Arab Cinema
Huda’s Salon by Hany Abu-Assad
Presented by the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
A live conversation with Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad, accompanied by his film, Huda’s Salon.
UAE Debut - Part of Abu Dhabi City of Music
Raul Midón and Alex Cuba
Opening set by Fafa
An evening of soul, jazz, and Latin pop sounds with two dazzling singer-songwriters and instrumentalists, featuring solo and duet sets.
October 2022
UAE Premiere - Contemporary and Urban Dance
What The Day Owes To The Night (Ce Que Le Jour Doit A La Nuit) - Cie Hervé Koubi
With the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
An extraordinary whirlwind of movement blending contemporary and urban dance with martial arts
UAE Debut
Cosmic Music: A Contemporary Exploration of the Music of John and Alice Coltrane - Ravi Coltrane
GRAMMY award nominee
Acclaimed saxophonist Ravi Coltrane reimagines the spiritual and ecstatic music of two jazz pioneers.
CinemaNa
Contemporary Arab Cinema
Daughters of Abdul-Rahman by Zaid Abu Hamdan
Presented by the NYUAD Film and New Media Program
A live conversation with Jordanian filmmaker Zaid Abu Hamdan, accompanied by his film, Daughters of Abdul-Rahman
September 2022
Theater from the UAE
Al Raheel | Departure From Reem Almenhali & Joanna Settle
Commissioned by The Arts Center and Cultural Foundation and presented with official support of the US Mission to the UAE
A contemporary performance examining identity, womanhood, and potential futures.
UAE Debut
Set and Reset/Reset and Last Shelter - Candoco Dance Company
Presented with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
Intimacy, virtuosity, and precision embodied in movement by the world’s foremost inclusive dance company.
UAE Debut - Co-commissioned by The Arts Center
MOVEMENT Live | Meklit
with guests Cromwell Ojeda, Freek, and Ghaliaa
International and local stories of migration collide in a multimedia live music concert.