Do you know what ‘zouk’ is? Find out at the Abu Dhabi International Dance Festival. Here’s a hint: isn’t a creature from outer space…
Attention dance lovers of Abu Dhabi: your new favourite weekend is right around the corner.
The Abu Dhabi International Dance Festival (ADIDF) is coming to Aloft Hotel on January 9-11. The weekend features three days of workshops, parties and shows to thrill and entertain those with rhythm in their bones. Performances by professional dancers and troupes highlight the evenings, with audience participation allowed and encouraged.
This year (2013) marked the first year of the ADIDF and was a sold-out event, welcoming 500 guests on each day. Festival director Mohamad Mustapha has travelled around the world learning from artists and instructors and attending performances, scouring for the most impressive and diverse acts. A dancer himself, Mohamad feels compelled to feed Abu Dhabi’s growing dance community. He says, ‘dancing is a means of communication with no barriers of language.’ In an international community such as Abu Dhabi, sometimes dance can be the best means of understanding different cultures.
During the day, visitors to the festival can attend workshops on various types of dance, including salsa, tango, cha-cha, belly dancing and Bollywood dance. There will also be classes on lesser known disciplines such as zouk, a Caribbean dance characterised by its fast tempo and carnival-style energy, and zorba, a style of dance that originated from the Greek movie Zorba the Greek. Workshops are split into four levels – beginner, intermediate, advanced and general, which includes all levels.
At 9.30pm on Thursday and Friday there will be performances by professional dancers from various countries around the world.
One highlight will be the Leon Rose Project. Hailing from the UK, this collective is choreographed by Leon Rose, an innovative salsa dancer who is famous for combining traditional salsa dancing with unexpected music such as James Brown’s ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.’ Leon has danced on stage and TV including a performance with Enrique Iglesias on BBC’s Top Of The Pops.
Italian dancer and choreographer Claudia Sabor will be another headliner of the ADIDF. A bachata superstar, Claudia has starred in numerous bachata workout DVDs, toured in four continents and started her own team, El Sabor Diferente. She now travels the world teaching dance styles including salsa, meringue and her specialty, the bachata, an energetic Latin dance that originated in the Dominican Republic.
Tango dancers Oliver and Lin Kristic were recently added to the 2014 ADIDF lineup. After studying the tango in South America, Oliver moved to Dubai, where he founded Tango-OK. He teaches classes in four languages – Spanish, English, Serbian and German – and partners with Lin, a former student of his.
After the shows, the dancing continues into the night with themed parties such as a ‘Latin madness’ party, where visitors can salsa and cha-cha along with the professionals. ‘Romantica’ is the theme of the next evening’s party, where the dancing includes tango, zouk and bachata.
The parties will be scored by ADIDF DJs from around the MENA region. The acts include DJ Capital F from Oman, whose repertoire features international beats that span from the 1950s to modern music.
Amateurs and experienced dancers alike are welcome at the ADIDF. The activities take place throughout each day with instructors offering tips and tricks to improve attendees’ practice. There will also be vendors set up during the daytime selling dance videos, clothing and shoes to newly inspired attendees.
The full schedule of workshops and shows has yet to be finalised but will be available on the ADIDF website and Facebook page as times are confirmed.
Full passes to the festival cost Dhs550 and day passes cost Dhs125 for the workshops and Dhs225 for the parties. Tickets can be purchased online at www.adidf.com. Aloft Abu Dhabi, Khaleej Al Arabi Street
(02 654 5000).
A dictionary of dance
Here are some more styles of dance that will be featured at the Abu Dhabi International Dance Festival
Afro-Rumba
A combination of several different African dance and music traditions; there are several different styles, some fast, some slow and they can be danced by a couple or alone.
Bollywood
An Indian dance style named after the movie genre and often incorporating group choreography.
Cha-cha
A Cuban dance style so named because of the sound of the dancers’ feet shuffling across the floor.
Kizomba
Originating in Angola, this style is famously romantic and is influenced by zouk and merengue.
Samba
One of the most popular Brazilian dance styles, danced to music played by string and percussion instruments with intermittent declaratory verses.
Tango
A partner dance originating in South America, characterized by romantic dips and quick steps.
