Visitors to the Summer in Abu Dhabi family festival currently running through Abu Dhabi emirate are getting an intriguing glimpse into more than 3,000 years of Far-Eastern heritage through Singaporean dance troupe, ‘Cultures of Asia’, which is making its UAE debut at the capital’s Marina Mall.

Representing Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures, the daily performance - which runs hourly from 4-9pm until 14th July - begins with three female dancers, followed by individual routines and then a fusion finale – which, according to chief choreographer, Fei Gu, highlights Asia’s melting pot of races.

“Asia has a strong and rich culture and we try to bring that alive through these dances, both as individuals and as a collective. It is important to teach people about different cultures from around the world. To some extent, we are ambassadors and hope that Summer in Abu Dhabi visitors take something away from our performances,” said Gu, who has been dancing for more than 16 years, and performs the show’s Indian-inspired routine.

“The Indian dance is based on a religious ceremony, signifying legends and rituals with roots deep in sub-continental history. The stories are told through hand positions and gestures and through the rich fabrics and jewels that adorn the outfit.”

The deep-rooted history of the Chinese dance, performed by Sophia Meng, can be traced back over three millennia to the Zhou dynasty, which ushered in the founding principles of Chinese philosophy, much of which is still accepted today. The movements of the Chinese dance provide a journey through the country’s rich and diverse heritage.

“I wanted to make this dance a very artistic one and the choreography is deliberately very delicate and demure. I had in my mind the movements of a fairy when I created the movements and the use of the fan as a prop brings in the traditional aspects of Chinese dance. Using the fan also symbolises descending from the sky, and the freedom of this,” added Gu, who is one of more than 30 cultural dancers performing at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-organised festival, running until 4th August across the emirate.

The third dance, inspired by Malayan culture dating back as early as 2,500 BC, when the first Asian settlers left the mainland for the Malay Archipelago, is performed by Yuki Tang as a celebratory pre-wedding ceremony dance.

“It’s a very lively and happy dance, and the basket of flowers incorporated into the dance represents a present that was given to a bride as a wedding gift. The outfit is a very colourful costume and is similar in style to a traditional Malay wedding gown, although the colours would not be quite as vibrant!” added Gu.

Cultural performances are taking centre stage throughout Summer in Abu Dhabi’s participating shopping malls with international troupes such as the Mongolian Khalkhas, Papua New Guinea Hulis, Kenyan Maasais, New Zealand Maoris and Botswanian Khoisans entertaining.

A host of activities are also running throughout malls in the emirate including the Mad Scientist Laboratory, where professors conduct real-life experiments with fun and unpredictable results; Junior Cooking Schools, where budding chefs design their own cupcakes under the careful supervision of top chefs; and Showbot & The Droidz, where kids can make friends with talking, walking robots. Shops are backing up the festival with fantastic deals.

Summer in Abu Dhabi, which for the first time boasts attractions in the emirate’s Oasis City of Al Ain, includes great family activities, award-winning international acts, best-in-class edutainment and unbeatable ticket, hotel and attraction deals.

It runs from 4-10pm on Saturday through Wednesday and from 4pm – Midnight on Thursday and Friday.

This year’s festival takes in eight venues including the state-of-the-art Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre’s (Hall 11 and its recently-launched Abu Dhabi Hall – the GCC’s largest indoor entertainment venue.

Throughout Summer in Abu Dhabi, ADTA and its stakeholders are offering an expansive ‘one-for-one’ campaign which gets GCC travellers free air seats, complimentary room nights, meal deals, discounted attractions and free tours. More than 30 four and five star hotels in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain are taking part in the promotion, which is also open to UAE residents.

For more information, please log onto www.summerinabudhabi.com

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