DNRD lines up over 60 events for Art Surprises

Dubai Department of Naturalisation and Residency (DNRD) has lined up over 60 events for the forthcoming Art Surprises, the eighth themed week of DSS, beginning August 8.

The week's events will start with a colourful opening ceremony at Modhesh Fun City, organisers said.

"DNRD is participating in DSS for the very first time, making each member of our team specially committed to this initiative which is a true reflection of Dubai's enterprising and adventurous spirit," said Major Jassim Abdul Ghaffour, head of the Art Surprises committee.

"We are, indeed, grateful to the DSS Organising Committee, which has put a lot of trust in us, by giving us the huge responsibility of organising the theme and its activities. Like our other projects, we will ensure that we maintain the high standards that we have given to such community projects in the past."

He noted that his department recently won the 'Best Teamwork' Award for its role in the Dubai Shopping Festival 2002.

The department has put together the activities and events calendar for the Art Surprises by using its past experiences in the management of entertainment events. All the activities will be true to the theme of DSS, 'Big Fun For Little Ones'.

The opening ceremony will use fantastic lighting and sound effects, to highlight the line up of events in the week, which will include an array of workshops, shows, events and activities to give children knowledge, fun and entertainment.

The highlight of the week's activities include a play, The Magical Forest, which has visually stunning effects that will be very attractive to its young audience. The play will be hosted by Modhesh Fun City.

BurJuman Centre will host a unique Art Surprises event called Destinations. All children visiting the mall will be given a passport to visit the 12-destinations/cultural stations located within the mall.

At each of these destinations, the children will get to learn about the culture and history of 12 stations, earning points for the knowledge gained in each of them. Children who earn the maximum points will win valuable gifts and prizes.

The mall will also host flamenco dancers from Spain, and a group of Australian street performers called the Freak Fruits. The group will be on 1.5-metre-long stilts while performing dances from around the world.

The week's activities also include exhibitions on wild life at the Wafi Mall and a Stamps Exhibition at BurJuman Centre.

The Children's City will host the children's summit, where children in the 9-14 age group will present research papers prepared by them. The numerous workshops organised during the theme week will help children to be creatively engaged.

Language workshops will teach them commonly used phrases and words from French, Arabic, English, Spanish, Italian, and German languages.

Mask-making workshops will familiarise children with mask-making traditions of the Indian and the Chinese cultures. Calligraphy workshops will teach children the beauty and the charm of the Arabic font.

Workshops will also attempt to teach children the importance of recycling, and parents can also take their young ones for the storytelling workshops. A very interesting format for teaching children geography will be explored through the Flags of the World workshop.

Wafi City and Al Bustan Centre will host the Play and Learn workshops and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry will host prominent artists.

The other workshops include activities and events where children will learn gift wrapping, playing music and understanding computers. A local lady will teach the children how to create useful objects from easily available raw materials.