Dubai Shopping Festival 2013 Showcases ’’Dubai At Its Best’’ With Superb Events
The myriad of events that Dubai has hosted during the current Dubai Shopping Festival, ranging from international to home-grown, musical to comical, have enthralled thousands of visitors from around the world and from all walks of life and from all age groups. The superb range of entertaining fare that wad offered well and truly reflected the festival’s promise of showcasing “Dubai at its Best” and are definitely worth remembering, as the 18th edition of the festival makes its way through its final week.
One of the highlights of DSF 2013 was “On the land of the Gypsies”, the musical play by the acclaimed Rahbani family from Lebanon, which opened to a huge crowd on its regional debut as a main DSF 2013 event. The play scored big with the multinational audience that really enjoyed the colorful spectacle and the great music scores during the 2 hours show that was held at Burj Park – Downtown Dubai. The play is written, composed and produced by Ghadi Rahbani, and directed by the renowned Marwan Rahbani. It features such celebrities of Arabic musical theatre as Ghassan Saliba, Aline Lahoud, Paul Sleiman and Pierre Chamoun, to name a few. With a cast of more than 70 actors, singers and dancers on stage, the show presented the audience with a feast of music and dance acts that left everyone spellbound and giving a well deserving standing ovation.
Another great musical that was seen during DSF 2013 was the concert of Omar Khairat, one of the masters of the Arabic music scene. Khairat was welcomed on stage with a standing ovation – the first of several to follow – from the throng of fans who packed the auditorium in anticipation of some mouth-watering musical fare. The applause did not stop all evening as Khairat and his troupe presented some of his best works of beautiful, innovative symphonic music, as well as a surprise composition specially on Dubai. Noted for bridging Middle Eastern and western approaches to music he brings a western harmonic flair to classical Arabic melodies, which was in ample evidence at the special DSF 2013 concert.
DSF 2013 has also moved audiences from the sound of music to the sound of laughter. The first ever Dubai International Comedy Carnival, a new inclusion to the array of events that were held during DSF, was well-welcomed by thousands of stage and comedy enthusiasts visiting Dubai Festival City. Aiming to build a strong community and urban arts scene in Dubai and create more opportunities for local artists to showcase their creativity, the event featured well-known international and regional comedians. Some of the famous names to grace the comic stage were Michael Winslow, Dean Obeidallah and Mina Liccione and Aaron Kader. Comedians from the region who featured in the Carnival were Amro Qatamesh, Nemr Abou Nasser and Bader Saleh, as well as Ali Al Sayed and Countrymen, the UAE’s “Fresh Prince of Comedy”, who presented a fresh take on UAE society with their act “Emiritization”. The Dubai International Comedy Carnival also brought a GCC break dance competition, and amateur stand-up comedy competition, a Rock music competition for schools, a make-your-own film competition, music performances by local bands, and much more.
Another exciting event was the staging of the spellbinding Black Light Show, a mix of choreography, motion, dance, music, light and shadow, that wowed audiences at the Centrepoint Theatre, DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates. The hour-long show brought the best of experimental theatre to the Festival, as it presented a visual feast while weaving in themes of traditional relevance to Dubai and the region. With “See the music… listen to the light” as its guiding slogan, the show saw a magical and thrilling theatrical performance as the performers were placed between strong light sources and a screen on which their silhouettes were projected as they danced, contorted and displayed acrobatics to make their shadows take on the appearance of letters of the alphabet, palm trees, flowers, monuments, symbols such as of love and shapes of animals such as camels, apart from enactments of scenes of joy pertinent to the DSF and Dubai. With amazing precision, the troupe of performers formed the words Dubai and DSF with the silhouettes of their bodies and went on to form the shapes of traditional emblems of Dubai, such as the date palm and the camel, all the while keeping time to a rhythmic, lively musical score – making for a tremendously well-received programme and a very appreciative audience.
A large numbers of visitors flocked to check out the unique Bedouin Lifestyle Camp. Surrounded by the shiny, glass fronted skyscrapers of 5-star hotels and the futuristic architecture of the Dubai Festival City Mall, the Festival Promenade is the last place you would expect to see a camel or a Bedouin’s tent. But located in a corner of this modern setting, the Bedouin Lifestyle Camp is giving a glimpse of the region’s heritage to visitors through decoration, food, costumes, music, dances, handicrafts, folklore and heritage.
The countries of the Arab world that have a shared heritage of desert nomads are represented at this event with their respective sections. There is a section each for Yemen, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, and the hosts UAE, as well as Kenya and India – countries surrounding the Arab region that also have desert nomads.
Families visiting Festival Promenade were also amazed by the Italian Circus that was being staged on a daily basis. Packed with children and parents, the Italian Circus had over 15 acts including tightrope walkers, balance tricks on bicycles and unicycles, trapeze artists, gymnasts and acrobats. The programme was especially created for the celebration of DSF 2013, and generated great fun and laughter among the audience, as well as awe and nail-biting moments. For some two hours, the circus goers witnessed breathtaking acts, never-before-seen tricks, funny antics and a host of talented performers from around the world. With two clowns providing comic relief in between major acts, the tent heard loud cheers and laughter all throughout.
Indeed proving “Dubai at its Best” from the stage to the circus tent, DSF 2013 extended its reach to the streets of the emirates. Among several events happening at Al Seef Street, it was the World of Souvenirs that stood out. A corner of Al Seef Street was decked out with stalls of souvenirs from countries around the world where nine stalls each represent countries such as Brazil, the USA, the UK, France, Turkey, India, China and the hosts UAE, as well as one stall that represents the whole continent of Africa. From each country there is a story to take back, and in each area there’s a famous landmark that is a global icon from that particular country and reflects its culture, heritage and history. In the USA stall there was a huge replica of the Statue of Liberty while those entering the France stall marveled at the replica of Paris’ famous Arc de Triomphe. A glass model of the landmark Burj Khalifa was the centerpiece of the UAE stall, where visitors are also buying local Arabic perfumes, traditional sweets and clothes, and models of its other landmark structure - the Burj Al Arab. The World of Souvenirs was a true reflection of the inclusive culture of the city, quite fittingly situated next to the waters of Dubai’s lifeline, its creek, the place where it all began – the rise of Dubai from humble beginnings to an international city of excellence.
Emirate: Dubai
Date: Jan 30, 2013
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