Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
As the UAE embraces 2025 as the Year of Community, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) has 10 years served as a cultural hub, bringing world-class performances to the heart of Abu Dhabi while nurturing homegrown talent.
"From the beginning, it was important for us to be deeply connected to the UAE community, while also forming a bridge to the international performing arts world," Bill Bragin, Executive Artistic Director of The Arts Center at NYUAD, told Aletihad in an interview.
A key milestone has been the rise of local shows, with more commissioned productions and world premieres than ever before.
"This allows our UAE-based talents to create works which focus on stories and themes with special resonance," Bragin noted. "Our ability to put together a season with so many local productions is the result of a decade of deep engagement, exposing UAE artists to diverse works as they attend our performances, and creating connections between visiting and local artists through our robust residency format."
He explained that this format enables visiting artists to engage beyond the stage, share their artistic approaches, connect with the community over meals, and experience local hospitality - gaining a deeper understanding of the UAE's cultural landscape.
Year of Community
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has declared 2025 the Year of Community under the slogan "Hand in Hand".
Bragin believes that art plays a vital role in making people feel more connected to the UAE, and to one another.
"In a place as dynamic as the UAE, which is always evolving, the arts offer special opportunities to foster shared histories and experiences for people who come from so many different lived experiences," he said.
"At every performance at The Arts Center, people from different backgrounds, ages and heritage all come together in a unique one-time-only community that every audience comprises."
The Arts Center follows a curatorial strategy to engage a wide local audience, according to Bragin. This is evident in initiatives like the Tamaas Festival, which juxtaposes artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, and commissioned cross-cultural collaborations.
Nurturing the UAE's Cultural Ecosystem
Beyond performances, The Arts Center is deeply involved in the development of the UAE's cultural ecosystem, supporting both emerging and established artists.
"The Arts Center's model is based on a residency model, in which the public performances are merely one part of a constellation of activities designed to help grow the UAE's ecosystem," Bragin said.
"Most artists lead workshops and speak on panels - these both help to develop the knowledge and skills of the local participants, while strengthening the networks of artists, who often meet each other for the first time at the workshops."
The Arts Center also offers free matinees for school groups in the UAE, aiming to instill a love for the arts in young people.
Its Numoo professional training programme further equips emerging artists with the skills needed to build sustainable careers.
The Center has also played a key role in commissioning new works, providing platforms for talents such as Emirati playwright Reem Almenhal and theatre collective 63kolektib, whose upcoming production "Metro Diaries" explores the lives of Overseas Filipino Workers in the UAE.
Other notable examples include filmmaker Philip Rachid, aka Soultrotter, whose award-winning film "It Ain't Where You From" explores the stories of street dancers from across the region who reinvented themselves in the UAE; and Abu Dhabi writer Deepak Unnikrishanan who created his first movement theatre piece, "PETTEE", inspired by migration to the Gulf.
'Uncovering' Cultural Bridges
A defining aspect of The Arts Center's work is its ability to merge global and local artistic expressions.
One of Bragin's favourite collaborations was the 2019 Cuban Khaleeji Project, commissioned by The Arts Center.
It brought together multiple Grammy winner Arturo O'Farrill and his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra with regional musicians, including Ali Obaid, Boom.Diwan, Malika Zarra and Yazz Ahmed.
The project, which toured New York and Saudi Arabia, led to further collaborations between O'Farrill and Boom.Diwan, such as the acclaimed Live in the Khaleej! album recorded at The Arts Center.
Bragin recalls a comment made by one of the musicians during an artist-community dinner; "that it felt less that we were building bridges between cultures, but rather, uncovering bridges that already existed, but may not have been travelled for a while."
Another memorable collaboration was a season-opening concert featuring two traditional groups - Venezuela's Betsayda Machado y La Parranda el Clavo and the UAE's Lewah Maritime Ensemble.
Making the Arts Accessible to All
The Arts Center has also been a champion of accessibility, ensuring inclusivity for diverse communities, including people of determination.
Bragin highlighted featured artists such as dancer Aakash Odedra, whose work explores neurodivergence, blind singer Raul Midón, comedian and disability advocate Maysoon Zayid, and the CanDoCo dance company, whose members include a wheelchair user, an amputee and a deaf dancer.
These artists visited sessions at local schools and universities, destigmatising neurodivergence and disabilities.
School matinees are also modified to accommodate children on the autism spectrum, fostering an inclusive environment where all audiences feel welcome, Bragin added.
Abu Dhabi: A Hub of Global Art and Connection
Bragin noted that Abu Dhabi's cultural scene has flourished over the past decade, evolving from a city known for beloved annual festivals to a year-round artistic hub.
The reopening of the Cultural Foundation, the rise of institutions like Louvre Abu Dhabi and 421 Arts Campus, and the development of the Saadiyat Cultural District have all contributed to this transformation.
"I think what sets the capital apart is the incredible internationalism of the audience. There's no place else that I know that brings together so many people with so many different histories, lived experiences, languages, accents and stories," Bragin added.
"The UAE welcomes us and gives us a shared foundation that also values what we've all brought with us."
Ramadan Special
The Arts Center will host Layth Sidiq Quartet: Ramadaniyyat 2025 on March 18.
Acclaimed violinist Layth Sidiq will bring together renowned musicians - including Samvel Gasparyan (piano), Alaa Saber (qanun) and Ahmed Kamel (percussion) - for a performance featuring lesser-known Ramadan songs from around the world.
"While drawing from nostalgia, he also innovates within the tradition with a multi-cultural ensemble, which encourages non-Muslims to feel even more connected to the spirit of Ramadan," said Bragin.
And after the performance, the artists and audience will come together for an informal suhoor.
