Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi has unveiled its lineup of artists for its upcoming 12th season.
The programme, which runs from September 2026 to June 2027, is jam-packed with eclectic acts who have made their mark in global music, contemporary dance, experimental theatre, independent cinema and acrobatics. The full Season 12 lineup includes:
Dirty Dozen Brass Band | Fanfaraï (September 5)
Pioneering group, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, brought traditional New Orleans Second Line music into the funk scene. The Grammy Award-winning ensemble blends traditional jazz and bebop with funk and R&B/soul.
The French North African brass and percussion outfit, Fanfaraï, with roots as a street band, transforms global traditions with Arab-Berber, Afro-Cuban, Latin, and jazz influences.
The Butterfly who flew into the rave— Oli Mathiesen with Lucy Lynch and Sharvon Mortimer (September 10-12)
From Aotearoa (New Zealand), Oli Mathiesen with Lucy Lynch and Sharvon Mortimer perform the award-winning “The Butterfly who flew into the rave”, a high-energy dance work set to the booming Detroit techno album “Nocturbulous Behaviour” by Suburban Knight.
Explore the movement vocabulary used in techno through the atmosphere and culture of a three-day rave condensed into an hour. Witness the relentless movement of three bodies, seamless without pause, and detailed down to every beat.
CinemaNA (September 28)
CinemaNa celebrates its 10th year with a new season of contemporary Arab cinema. Curated by Oscar-nominated filmmaker and NYUAD Arts Professor of Film and New Media, Scandar Copti, the series is presented by the NYUAD Film and New Media Programme in partnership with The Arts Center.
The first feature film in this season’s lineup will be announced soon.
Untitled 14km— Youness Atbane (October 1-2)
This multidisciplinary dance theatre performance and installation investigates how the contemporary art world engages with questions of identity, with a particular focus on what is framed as “Arab identity”.
In the imaginary museum of North Africa, Middle East Contemporary Art, an Arab-Andalusian poet, a museum director, a curator and a contemporary artist attempt to conceive an exhibition that re-examines modernism through two parallel lenses: the poetic legacy of the Arab-Andalusian era and the practices of established contemporary Arab artists. Their exchanges reveal the tensions embedded in translating historical narratives into contemporary artistic frameworks.
Näss - Fouad Boussouf | Le Phare - CND Havre Normandie (October 30)
The raw energy of 1970s Moroccan music meets the pulse of contemporary hip hop inn Näss (People). Choreographer Fouad Boussouf orchestrates a high-octane encounter between seven men, blending traditional North African rhythms with fierce, urban movement.
Drawing inspiration from the legendary Moroccan Gnawa musical pioneers Nass el Ghiwane, Boussouf finds a powerful analogy in hip hop’s own quest for identity and roots. The performance bridges cultural heritage with modern expression.
Hekayah | The Story (November 26)
This screening brings together poets, singers, dancers and instrumentalists to showcase the beautiful diversity of the UAE. The performers are selected through a collaborative curatorial process by key players in the literary and performing arts communities across the UAE.
Tamaas Festival: Ibibio Sound Machine | Bombino | Sami Galbi (January 29)
Discover new global sounds as three bands perform on two stages, bridging modern sounds with traditional expression.
Sami Galbi (Switzerland and Morocco): A high-energy multi-instrumentalist blending North African Raï and Chaâbi with the raw analogue textures of Swiss electronic and urban club culture.
Bombino (Niger): The “Sultan of Shred” and desert blues icon fuses hypnotic Tuareg rhythms with raw rock-and-roll energy.
Ibibio Sound Machine (UK): A genre-defying afro-futurist collective blending West African rhythms, electronic textures, disco, post-punk and global club energy.
Ramadaniyat: The Handover — Aly Eissa, Ayman Asfour and Jonas Cambien (February 17)
Experience a sonic bridge between the mystic traditions of the Nile Delta and the cutting-edge of contemporary avant-garde. The Handover defies categorisation, weaving together the creative spirit of Egyptian composer and oud player Aly Eissa, Belgian/Norwegian keyboardist Jonas Cambien and Alexandrian violinist Ayman Asfour.
Together, the trio crafts a sound that feels both ancient and futuristic.
Tribute to Ziad Rahbani — Faraj Suleiman (March 26)
Faraj Suleiman is a Palestinian composer, pianist and live performer whose work sits at the intersection of contemporary composition, Arabic musical heritage and modern groove-driven arrangements.
Suleiman reimagines the work of the iconic Ziad Rahbani through his own artistic language, compositional mindset and distinctive musical identity. It is built around reinterpretation, with each musical selection re-orchestrated, re-harmonised, and rhythmically reshaped to reflect his creative vision of one of his major musical influences.
Face Aux Murs — Cie Hors Surface (June 12)
An exhilarating acrobatic trampoline performance, “Face Aux Murs” (Facing the Walls) explores the dynamics of human relationships in a world of perpetual flux.
Six solitary acrobats find themselves on a vertiginous Plexiglas wall surrounded by two trampolines. Alternately witnessing and participating in their desires and doubts, each character explores their shadow self and buried courage. The courage to give up? The courage to continue? In a constantly transforming setting, each character’s world shifts unexpectedly.
Beyond its striking aesthetic, the acrobatic scenography allows the audience to delve into the intimate struggles and shared challenges we all face.
