The show, created by Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj together with circographer, director, and tightrope acrobat Maroussia Diaz Verbeke, brings together 15 diversely skilled performers for a whirlwind of traditional and modern floor acrobatics, dance, and breakdancing, as well as taekwondo and freestyle football. FIQ! is a circus show built of modern tumbling alchemy, set to sounds by DJ Dino and fiery rap, between vivid colors and black and white, along with Moroccan influences.
Commenting on the show, The Arts Center Executive Artistic Director Bill Bragin said: “FIQ! is incredibly compelling and the perfect show to return to after Eid, with a celebratory feel that builds on Hassan Hajjaj’s extraordinary aesthetic. Its mixture of acrobatics and hip-hop, and the explosion of colors combined with elements of Moroccan culture, makes it so unique yet appealing to family members of all ages.”
On April 24 at 5pm Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger will run a workshop titled “Moroccan Acrobatics”. Participants (adults and youth ages 10+) will have the opportunity to discover and learn the techniques from an ancient folk art that includes circular acrobatics, tumbling, and building human pyramids. The workshop will be led by diversely skilled performers and is open to those who are eager to learn circus acrobatics.
On April 25 at 6:30pm dance enthusiasts will have a unique opportunity to attend a workshop titled “Street Dance” with Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger – FIQ!, which focuses on urban dance techniques. Participants will be introduced to the vocabulary and gestures of urban dance and will learn the techniques of breathing and undulation during movements. The workshop is open to all dancers with varying styles and levels, and to those who are curious to learn a new dance style.
In addition to the public performances, on the morning of April 27, the company will perform a free matinee performance for an invited audience of several hundred students from a variety of Abu Dhabi schools, with support from the US Mission to the UAE, as part of an ongoing series of youth engagement programs through their partnership with The Arts Center.
Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger (Tangiers Acrobatic Troupe) was inspired by Sanae El Kamouni, who gathered a group of Moroccan acrobats for a project featuring new contemporary acrobatic creations. Together with director Aurélien Bory, they founded in 2013 the first contemporary Moroccan acrobatics show. Since then, several shows were created – TAOUB (Aurélien Bory- 2004), Chouf Ouchouf (Zimmermann & de Perrot-2009), Azimut (Aurélien Bory 2013), and Halka (collective creation of the Tangiers Acrobatic Troupe with the participation of Abdeliazide Senhadji – 2016).
About The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi
Presenting music, theater, dance, film and interdisciplinary performances that defy definition, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi is a performing arts center that presents distinguished professional artists from around the world alongside student, faculty, and community productions. The Arts Center draws on the resources of NYUAD to create a dynamic space for research, investigation, and the active pursuit of knowledge and wisdom for audiences as well as visiting artists.
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and science campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective liberal arts, engineering and science curriculum with a world center for advanced research and scholarship enabling its students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from more than 115 nations and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU’s campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.
For more information please visit: http://www.nyuad-artscenter.org
