India to be ‘Country of Honour’ at Abu Dhabi Festival 2018

Abu Dhabi: In a significant honour, India has been declared as the ‘Guest of Honour country for the prestigious 15th Abu Dhabi Festival (ADF), a month-long festival celebrating art and culture, to be held in March 2018 in Abu Dhabi.

 It will see performances by ‘The Merchants of Bollywood an Indian theatrical extravaganza, ‘We The Living, a classical Indian dance inspired by Rumis ‘The Human Being by the Tanusree Shankar Dance Academy and sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

The announcement of India being the Guest of Honour country was made at a packed press conference at the Emirates Palace Auditorium on Monday, according to a UAE Embassy press release.

The Festival will be held under the patronage of Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE



Minister of Tolerance.

The selection of India as Guest of Honour country is significant as 2018 is being celebrated as the ‘Year of Zayed’, to mark the birth centenary of Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of the UAE and the country’s first President.

ADF 2018 will see the participation of more than 500 international artistes and 40 composers from 30 countries.

Indian Artists of eminence will participate in the event. The India-related events will include workshops by Gilles Chuyen, who has been trained in France in Folk, Modern Ballet and Contemporary dance styles and as choreographer and works extensively with Bollywood; and Collaboration between Rajeev Kumar and UAE’s Mohammed Mandi, both eminent calligraphists, from India and UAE respectively.