ABU DHABI: If you want to pirouette like a ballerina, hip hop like a rapper or hone your dramatic skills in Abu Dhabi, your wait is over. Motion Studios of Performing Arts (MSPA), a full-fledged performing arts facility, is opening its doors in Al Zeina (Al Raha) on September 9.
It will offer training in ballet, jazz, hip hop, drama, singing, acting, body conditioning, martial arts and special group performances.
Its founder, Emirati entrepreneur Mariam Lari, says MSPA will fill the void of a contemporary performing arts facility in the city.
Art and emotions
In 2015, Lari was pursuing her Bachelor’s degree when the idea of starting a business struck her. It was then the seed of the performing arts centre was sown. “I was fascinated by performing arts because it goes beyond physical movements. Parts of the brain act together to turn a body’s motion into a physical art form, which in turn improves health, mood and concentration,” she says.
She started by renting a room at a local gym and hiring a part-time teacher to teach ballet. Soon it started offering classes in hip hop, jazz and drama. Come September 9, the centre will function as a full-fledged learning school at a new location.
Lari has roped in Elizabeth Harvey, a professional dancer from New Zealand, as the Principal of MSPA. Harvey has taught and performed in countries like the UK and USA.
“My mission is to find talented artistes and develop their potential,” says Harvey.
Gregory Aaron, artistic director of MSPA, says dance lessons help students take responsibility of their learning process. “Dance has proven to help students achieve their highest potential,” he adds.
Tailored for all
The new facility has five professional teachers and boasts of two large fully equipped studios with sprung flooring. The centre will offer training to children who are three years old and above as well as adults. Classes will be held from 9am to 9pm, Saturday to Thursday.
As it teaches multiple disciplines, MSPA follows syllabi from Royal Academy of Dance, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, Trinity College and London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art.
The classes are structured for a natural progression to higher levels, with difficulty increasing in accordance to the students’ ability.
Lari says that she is proud to be the first Emirati to own a performing arts school in the UAE. She hopes to adapt the centre’s activity to meet the changing needs of the performing arts sector at all levels. “Soon we will have classes for students with special needs. We want to play a significant role in our community, with specially devised projects to include those who are disadvantaged or may feel excluded,” says Lari who has just completed her MBA from New York Institute of Technology in Abu Dhabi.
For more information, contact info@mspa.ae or call: 800 MSPA (6772)
