Art and culture
Folk arts and traditional handicrafts in Abu Dhabi are much the product of local ancestors’ interaction with their environment, especially performing arts. Folk dance and music, most of which are performed by men, are an expression of bravery such as in war, happiness such as in celebrating a marriage, or they are simply reminiscent of the old times when special rhythmic songs were used to entertain labourers such as pearl divers. Women, meanwhile, invested their free time in a range of handicrafts including gown embroidery, weaving shawls (incorporating gold strings) and rugs, pottery, weaving baskets and making henna tattoos. Today, the desire to preserve and promote traditional arts, handicrafts and heritage is stronger than ever, encouraged by several local art and culture clubs, competitions and projects to reconstruct old fishing villages, traditional markets and Bedouin tent dwellings.
Similarly, there is a revival of literary arts, especially poetry, which have flourished all over Arabia for thousands of years. Local architecture, on the other hand, has its own distinctive features in Abu Dhabi. Though the mud houses with palm-frond roofs of the past have almost vanished, the special architecture of the houses built in the first half of the 20th Century still survives.
Much of the cultural life in Abu Dhabi revolves around Islam, whether in literature, arts or festivals. Though Islam is the state religion in Abu Dhabi, expatriate communities of various faiths also celebrate their religious festivals in the emirate.
Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation
The
Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation organises regular concerts featuring the world’s top opera singers and classical music performers, which are usually staged at the Cultural Foundation Auditorium or at the Emirates Palace Auditorium. Top tenor Jose Carreras, the Russian Chamber Orchestra, the Cairo Opera Arabic Classical Orchestra and violinist Claudia Zobras were among those who performed in the 2007 Abu Dhabi Classical Music Festival. Naseer Shama, one of the Arab world’s most famous oud (a traditional stringed instrument) players, has also staged a concert at the Grand Auditorium of the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation.
Hence, any visitor who hopes to watch anyone of these renowned performers stand a good chance of realizing their dream by visiting the schedule of shows and other relevant information on the
ADMAF website.
In terms of venues, the
Cultural Foundation is located opposite the new Emirates Telecommunications Company (Etisalat) Building - with its landmark gigantic golf ball at the top of the building - on
Sheikh Zayed 1st St. Emirates Palace, on the other hand, is located near the ADNOC Complex near the Breakwater. Most taxi drivers are highly familiar with these landmarks. Allow extra time to get to these venues, as traffic may sometimes become unpredictable.
Performing Arts Centre (Saadiyat Island) Abu Dhabi’s own West End will come alive , once the 270-hectare cultural district in
Saadiyat Island is completed. The proposed Performing Arts Centre is a 62–metre high building with five theatres which include a music hall, concert hall, opera house, drama theatre and a flexible theatre with a combined capacity of 6,300. The centre will be housed in the same domicile as the much anticipated
Guggenheim Museum.
Cinemas and Concerts
For a quiet night on the town, visitors to Abu Dhabi can catch the latest Hollywood, Bollywood and Arabic blockbusters at any of the emirate’s numerous cinemas. There are eight major cinemas in Abu Dhabi and three in Al Ain, with most showing English and Arabic language films and a few showing Indian films. One cinema in Abu Dhabi – Movita – caters exclusively to women.
The majority of the cinemas are multi-screens complexes, where movie-goers can enjoy comfortable seating and state-of-the-art visual and audio technologies, as well as the usual cinema fare from the concession stands.
Movie timings can be found in the local daily newspapers or on the cinema websites.
Moreover, moviegoers can enjoy the latest movies, for all ages and nationalities, at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation. The foundation also regularly hosts foreign film festivals and showings in association with the various foreign embassies and cultural centres in the capital. Movie timings and programs can be found on the Cultural Foundation’s website.
Abu Dhabi is also home to the Emirates Film Festival held annually at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation. The festival showcases mainly short films and documentaries, as well as animation and experimental films, made by young filmmakers from the region. Usually held in March, the festival is a must for those visitors looking to gain an insight into local culture and society.
Another highlight of the emirate’s film scene is the Middle East International Film Festival held in October at the luxurious Emirates Palace Hotel. The film festival, organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage is expected to position the emirate prominently amongst the film festival capitals of the world.
(list of cinemas in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain)