Equine lore: Show for horse-lovers

As far as home-grown entertainment goes, there's nothing that comes even remotely close to Al Saheel - A Thousand and One Horse Tales.

The equestrian-themed extravaganza held every weekend at the Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club's tented HoofbeatZ Pavilion has been fascinating viewers for the past few seasons.

Featuring specially trained performing horses, brilliant costumes, skilled riders and a slew of jaw-dropping entertainment acts, the show unfolds in a dream-like spectacle as it transports viewers back into time when the art of storytelling was an integral part of Arab culture.

The show has now been revamped with some exciting new acts and stunts, with expert performers being roped in from Europe and the USA to add some extra sizzle.

"Al Saheel is like Cirque du Soleil on horseback. We may not be as good as them, but we can still hold out against any show in the world," said Anwar Sher who founded HoofbeatZ with his wife, Eielen Verdick, a few years back. According to Sher, there are 43 acts in all, but only 20-22 are held during each one-and-a-half-hour-long show, which is essentially a celebration of the historical bond between man and horse. "We don't follow a set format. So if you have seen the show a few months ago, there's no guarantee you will see the same acts again, as we are constantly enriching the theme," he said.

Horse-lover or not, this is one show you simply can't afford to miss.

Festival of Literature 2011: Line-up revealed

Dubai: As the final page is turned and another triumphant Emirates Airline Festival of Literature comes to a close, the organisers have revealed that preparations are well underway for the 2011 Festival.

18 star authors have already confirmed participation in next year’s Festival, which will run from 8-12 March, 2011. The Festival is held under the patronage of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the Emirate’s dedicated authority for culture, the arts and heritage.

More than twenty five thousand enthusiastic Festival-goers rubbed shoulders with 107 international, regional and local authors over the four-day Festival. Demand for many of the 80 sessions was so great that the organisers had to release additional tickets at short notice.

“From the moment the doors opened on Wednesday morning, the atmosphere has been electric,” said Isobel Abulhoul, Festival Director. “We have witnessed some incredible sights - Darren Shan signing books for star-struck teenagers for more than 4 hours, queues of hundreds of fans snaking through the Event Centre Lobby for the sold-out John Simpson session and multitudes of children from different nationalities joining camels, horses and Freej characters for our noisy and colourful Fringe parade.”

The sneak preview of the 2011 line-up, released today, features authors from 11 different nationalities including American, British, Chinese, Egyptian, Emirati, Indian, Iranian, Lebanese, Filipino, Palestinian, Saudi Arabian and Ukrainian.

Adult English language fiction writers include A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian author Marina Lewycka, Joseph O’Neill author of The Pen/Faulkner award-winning Netherland, winner of the Man Asian prize, Miguel Syjuco and Abraham Verghese, author of the best-selling, Cutting for Stone.

Best-selling writer and journalist, Xinran, author of The Good Women of China and Message From an Unknown Chinese Mother, will join corporate trainer and author of Ten Keys to Success, Dr Ibrahim Al Fiky, food writer and author of Sweet Alternative, Ariana Bundy and Kamel Abdul Malik, author of The Rhetoric of Violence.

Art Dubai: Blending creativity and interaction

Dubai: Art Dubai, regarded as the biggest annual art gathering in the world, came to a close Saturday. The exhibition's halls were full of crowds of different nationalities and ages keen to view the range of art on display this year.

Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Wife of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; visited Art Dubai on Ladies Day, accompanied by her daughter Shaikha Fatima and son Shaikh Mohammad Bin Mansour and other female artists and dignitaries.

Shaikha Manal said: "The UAE's wise leadership has been aware of the fact that the sustainability of economic development entails equivalent social and cultural development. The event succeeded as a key platform for human and artistic creativity and as a forum bringing together artists, fans and collectors to interact and further enhance the relation between artists and the public."

Satisfaction

Local and international Galleries' expressed their satisfaction with the outcome of Art Dubai 2010.

John Martin Director and Co-Founder of Art Dubai said: "... this year witnessed many more people and the sales were great because many galleries have already sold out all the collections they brought."

Australian Gallery, Agathon Galleries, represented by Director Marie Geissler told "It's a very exciting experience and profitable business environment [being] part of a very open community such as Dubai, where the opportunities ... put you in direct contact with the whole world.

"We are showcasing abstract works and this is our first participation and it has [had] fantastic attention." Asked about the sales, she replied, "Yes indeed we sold couple of pieces and we are here for [the] long term and Dubai has a lot to offer."

Brazilian BOLSA DE ARTE gallery agreed with the Australian gallery's comments. Co-owner Egon Kroeff said he looks forward to taking part next year. The positive reviews continued with the Swiss Barbarian Art Gallery, represented by Director Natasha Akhmerova, who said; "We sold a number of pieces and the experience was fruitful."

While Emirati Hunar Art Gallery, represented by the owner Al Anoud Al Warshow said: "As an Emirati I'm so proud of such international recognition and the feedback was artistically and financially successful."

Visitors enjoyed the variety of artworks, and were seen exchanging artistic knowledge and negotiating prices.

Yemeni Nagi Bin Braik, 68, there with his Scottish wife Carol, 64, said: "It is an impressive experience for Dubai to host such marvellous numbers of artworks and enable people to come and see and learn ... But I don't see enough attention paid to Arabic art such as calligraphy or even poetry."

British visitor, John Henderson, was full of praise for the event; "It's an excellent space and we like the traditional and contemporary art, photographs and the illustration. Although we are not in the position to buy but we are enjoying the exhibition very much ... we believe that, each year Art Dubai will get bigger and better."

Dubai, Jordan foundations to enhance scientific and cultural cooperation

Dubai: The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan’s Abdul Hamid Shoman Foundation to enhance scientific and cultural cooperation.

The memorandum was signed by Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Secretary general of Al Owais foundation, and Thabit Al Taher, Director general of the Shoman foundation.

It was signed in the presence of the winners of the Al Owais Cultural Awards and elite of Emirati intellectuals.

“The agreement comes in line with Al Owais foundation’s cultural strategy aiming at expand its cultural activities beyond giving awards to include participation in various activities in the Arab world and cooperation with Arab cultural foundations to enrich the cultural scene,” Abdul Hamid said

Desert magic at Abu Dhabi's Qasr Al Sarab

The Qasr Al Sarab is part of a 9,000-square kilometre animal reserve, home to 10,000 indigenous antelopes. Here the songs of birds break the stillness of the day and crickets take over at night.

Imagine an architectural marvel set in the mesmerising vastness of a desert landscape. Even if the finest imagery comes to your mind, it will still not match the bold magnificence that's represented at the Qasr Al Sarab resort in Abu Dhabi's Liwa desert.

Set in what one can only describe as one of the most beautiful desertscapes in the world — not for nothing is it also known as the Empty Quarter — formed about 18,000 years ago, Liwa's orange sand dunes, some towering hundreds of metres high, cast their spell long before the guest's arrival at the resort destination.

And just like a mirage, the Qasr Al Sarab Resort & Spa, owned by the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) and managed by Anantara, emerges.

A traditional fort standing as a powerful symbol of the past and preserving the Bedouin lifestyle, its architecture blends seamlessly into its surroundings. This oasis wins visitors over right from the start — the sound of soothing water features are everywhere as one enters a world of reflection and history.

The intrepid guest may be drawn to walk in the footsteps of the late British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger and the Bedouins. Take in the breathtaking scenery and encounter the desert wildlife or its track on an early morning dune adventure. And get even closer to what it may have felt like traversing the desert by mounting a camel before stopping to practise some archery. For a vista-plus, a hot air balloon is on the cards.

Guests may prefer to simply sit in comfort on the balcony of their room or villa, the latter overlooking a plunge pool, or in one of the many F&B sitting areas outside to admire the dunes changing colour with the light. Spotted an animal at the watering hole? Head down to the viewing platform to take a closer look.

The Qasr Al Sarab is part of a 9,000-square kilometre animal reserve, home to 10,000 indigenous antelopes. Here the songs of birds break the stillness of the day and crickets take over at night.

For culinary delights, head for an authentic Emirati meal, coffee and bonfire in a Bedouin tent set in the dunes, where authenticity is heightened by storytellers and an Arabic singer.

Guiding guests with sundials

After a leisurely meal, relax by casting your eyes up to the night sky. The stars were instrumental navigational tools for Arab travellers. The resort intends to guide its guests through the vast complex in a similar way using sundials and astrolabes.

One of the bars is star-themed, and if you're lucky, one may be able to spot one or two through its skylight.But to get down to history in earnest, the heritage village is nothing less than a full-scale educational voyage. Wherever one goes, the hotel is alive with history — 2,200 artefacts including jewellery, Bedouin clothes, travel diaries and quirky details. You'll find 150-year-old saddle bags in the library, for instance.

The reason for the heritage enthusiasm is the location's historical significance, which stretches back over 9,000 years. The resort aims to educate newcomers to the region as much as its local inhabitants, whose lives in the cities have removed them from their roots.

"This is a landmark for people from this region and afar to experience the history and culture, a beautiful mixture of the past and a modern leisure opportunity in luxury," enthuses Shaikha Mahra Khalid Saqer Al Qasimi, TDIC's senior corporate communications manager. And visitors can expect to return home sharing that opinion