From contemporary theatre and jazz-infused improvisation to high-energy Moroccan dance
The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi is bringing three very different performances to the capital this October, with artists from Morocco, Egypt and France exploring ideas around Arab identity, cultural memory, musical heritage and contemporary movement.
The programme kicks off with Moroccan interdisciplinary artist Youness Atbane, followed by an intimate musical collaboration between flutist and vocalist Naïssam Jalal and Egyptian oudist Hazem Shaheen.
The month then wraps up with Moroccan choreographer Fouad Boussouf’s high-energy dance work Näss (People).
Youness Atbane’s Untitled 14km
1-2 October, The Black Box
First up is the UAE premiere of Youness Atbane’s Untitled 14km on October 1 and 2.
Taking over The Black Box, the multidisciplinary performance blends theatre, dance and installation to explore how Arab identity is represented within the contemporary art world.
The work imagines an exhibition at a fictional Museum of North Africa, Middle East Contemporary Art, where a poet, museum director, curator and contemporary artist attempt to build an exhibition connecting Arab-Andalusian history with modern Arab art.
Expect plenty of satire, debate and questions around who gets to shape cultural narratives, and how ideas of identity are presented and interpreted.
Atbane will also lead Object for Body / Body as an Object: A Laboratory of Transformation on September 29, a workshop exploring movement, memory and the unexpected possibilities of everyday objects.
Naïssam Jalal and Hazem Shaheen
9 October, The Arts Center
On October 9, the focus shifts to music as Naïssam Jalal and Hazem Shaheen make their UAE debut at The Arts Center.
The pair bring together the Arabic tradition of taqsim, improvised instrumental music, with elements of contemporary jazz, creating an intimate performance centred around the flute, oud and voice.
Jalal has released 10 albums and performs across a range of musical traditions, while Shaheen is an accomplished Egyptian oud player, singer and composer who studied at the Institute for Arab Music and Bait Al Oud.
Their collaboration explores what happens when two distinct musical voices meet through improvisation, tradition and experimentation.
Fouad Boussouf’s Näss (People)
30 October, The Arts Center
The October programme comes to a high-energy close with Fouad Boussouf’s Näss (People) on October 30.
The UAE premiere brings seven male dancers together for a physical performance inspired by the raw energy of 1970s Moroccan music and the movement vocabulary of contemporary hip-hop.
Drawing inspiration from Moroccan musical group Nass el Ghiwane, Boussouf explores ideas of identity, roots and collective expression, blending North African rhythms with urban dance and contemporary choreography.
The result is a performance that moves between explosive physicality and more meditative moments, with the seven dancers creating a powerful sense of collective energy.
Boussouf will also host Näss: A Choreographic Exploration on October 29, giving participants with prior dance experience the chance to explore the movement, rhythm and group dynamics behind the production.
Together, the three performances offer very different ways to explore Arab culture and identity, from the art world and musical traditions to the dance floor.
Dates:
Untitled 14km – October 1–2, 7.30pm
Naïssam Jalal and Hazem Shaheen – October 9, 7.30pm
Näss (People) – October 30, 7.30pm
Atbane workshop – September 29, 6.30pm
Boussouf workshop – October 29, 6.0pm
All performances take place at The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, with Untitled 14km in The Black Box and the musical and dance performances in the Red Theater.
For further information, visit publicprograms.nyuad.nyu.edu
