Abu Dhabi: Students across the capital will be given an opportunity to interact with Sonia Sabri and members of her company during a week long series of workshops and a seminar ahead of her performance ‘Kathakbox' on Saturday.
"The workshops and seminar will not only reach out to the community [but the] activities will [also] no doubt widen the impact of the programme to students that desire to be creatively inspired," said Abdullah Al Ameri, Director of Culture and Arts at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach).
The activities and event were organised by Adach and the British Council. They will take place at various venues, including the Higher Colleges of Technology - Abu Dhabi Women's and Men's Colleges, the Future Centre for Special Needs, the Al Raha International School and Beit Al Oud.
"Our aim is to engage students by…exploring the richness of poetry and movement. Kathak is an art form which encompasses gesture, expression, music, the spoken word, drama and dance and it encourages us to think outside the box," Hannah Henderson, Head Arts, British Council Middle East, said.
These will take place during this week, before the international premiere of Kathakbox as part of Adach's World Stage performances in the capital and in Dubai on February 28. Each workshop is tailored according to the students' abilities and are designed to provide a platform for cultural dialogue.
"We're excited to be a part of this programme and are looking forward to interacting with the students, especially those from the Al Raha School, who will be performing a curtain raiser for our performance. Our aim in the workshops is to give all the students enough inspiration to perform and share what they learnt or developed in them," said Sonia Sabri, Artistic Director, Choreographer and Dancer, Sonia Sabri Company.
"We have been working on the concept for Kathakbox for the past four years…Kathak is a story telling art form in India but it has a lot of influence from the Persian region…combining the elements of music, poetry and dance, the performance can connect with anyone, which shows just how universal this art form is," she added.
Fact file
What: Kathakbox by the Sonia Sabri Company
Where: February 26 at the Abu Dhabi Theatre and February 28 at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre
For more information please contact: 02-6576333
