Shopping Festival: Show Stoppers

Artists and performers from around the world are in town this DSF. While each has something special to offer, some stand out – these were the people who caught our attention.

Joys of spring

At 11, Li Ding QI is the youngest member of the Chinese State Circus, which has taken the city by storm. A star on the jaw-dropping springboard act, the petite child won the top prize at the Paris Circus Festival in December last year. Li Ding practises her circus stunts for six hours daily. What is it that she likes most about Dubai? “It's the buildings. They are very impressive.''

Where: Marina Promenade, Dubai Festival City

In step with traditions

Eight dancers dressed in traditional outfits perform Lebanese folk dances, including the dabke, four times a day, in front of the Lebanese Pavilion. The dancers are part of a troupe of 70, who perform at weddings and festivals in Lebanon and other countries. “We give people happiness and energy,'' said Omar Hmada, 36, the leader of the group. “The UAE is like a second country to me. It's beautiful and people here are very kind.''

Where: Lebanese Pavilion, Global Village

Who wants a sand castle?

Argentinian Ricardo Alves-Ferreira, 48, has come from Australia, where he lives, to create a large sand sculpture representing an underworld scene. “I feel challenged by the architectural wonders of Dubai, so I wanted to make something softer to contrast it,'' he says. Using 20 tonnes of sand, palette knives and small trawls, it will take Ricardo three days to complete the 10m x 5m piece including a manta ray, dolphin and a turtle.

Where: The Walk, JBR

On the flip side

Wild Style Crew members JP Decastro, 22, and Michael Sanchez, 24, have come from the Philippines to perform hip hop breakdancing. “We're getting a lot of exposure here,'' says Sanchez who considers head spins, air flares and flares as the most challenging dance moves.

WHERE: The Walk, JBR

Riot Of Colours

Just three hours is what Vijaya Mohan, 50, needs to create a 2m x 1m rangoli, a traditional art form commonly seen outside homes in India. The symmetrical and geometrical patterns in her rangoli have a distinct look about them and could floor you with their brilliance. “I visualise the design before starting a rangoli,'' she says. Born and raised in India, Mohan lives in Singapore where she practises art therapy and treats special needs children and patients with mental illnesses.

Where: The Walk, JBR

Wheel in the sky

Four German artists have put together the stunning Sky Wheel show where they perform stunts on four large wheels connected by steel bars. The faster they walk, the higher they go. “The challenge is that we're four wheels and four guys, so if one makes a mistake, we are done,'' says Alex Ramien, 33. “We can't work with emotions. We have to trust each other.''

Where: Global Village

Rock steady

Balancing rocks of irregular shapes and weights is a tricky, tricky feat. But not for German artist Reinhard Boehme, who does it with an elan and ease few could match. An expert in the painstaking art, Boehme, 46, says it requires great patience to master the art. “I've been doing rock balancing for 12 years and have developed a feel for rocks. An interior designer by profession, Boehme works will various elements of nature. This is his first visit to Dubai. “I come from a small place and here everything is big, big, big.''

Where: The Walk, JBR

On the face of it

Dubai-based stencil artists Soltane Eddiouri, 24, and Matthew Armstrong, 25, lend their creativity to pictures of famous people by reproducing them on canvas in black and red paints. Accuracy and detailing are the challenging part of this style of painting, say the duo.

Where: The Walk, JBR

The third dimension

New York-based artist Rod Tryon, 55, specialises in 3D sidewalk art, an art form in which the artist uses the pavement or sidewalk as his canvas. Tyron's designs are heavily inspired by animals and reproductions of classic art. “I've only repeated an image twice in 23 years. I always do something different,'' says the artist who's busy creating four large street paintings displaying jungle scenes such as a waterfall with parrots and a cave hole with jaguars.

Where: The Walk, JBR

Heavy Metal

A metal artist for 20 years, Johannes Pfeiffer turns stones, crystals, screws and even industrial waste into works of art. The prices of his pieces range from Dh5,000 to 60,000 (for an abstract sculpture with natural diamonds). The German artist is very excited about his first visit to Dubai and can't stop gushing about it. “It's beautiful, and people here are very friendly.''

Where: The Walk, JBR