Month: March 2012

Xperia S and Armani moment

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Getting a preview of the new Sony Xperia at Armani Hotel

On my way home from office today I was tempted by Rhazi to check out the new Xperia S smartphone at Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa. This was his way of convincing the gadget diva why I didn’t need to carry an iphone, a blackberry, an ipad, a MacBook Air +++ in my bag at all times.

Naturally I am not one to ignore checking out new stuff and Armani is one of my favourite venues. So while rushing to make it to my bellydancing class, I went to play with Sony’s new toy. (Man that sounds dodgy – I’m glad Sony is not a guy)

The demonstration of the feature-rich smartphone highlighted key functionalities such as the ‘connected entertainment experience’. Offering seamless connectivity between all devices whether smartphone, TV, laptop or tablet and PlayStation, it is ideal to share and enjoy content.

The Xperia S sports ‘Iconic Identity’ is an innovative transparent design element at the base, that creates a simple, strong, instantly recognizable look with illumination effects and integrated antenna components. The user interface has been restyled to match the minimalistic design of the hardware and the home screen features a new colorful flow background making full usage of HD Bravia Reality Display and dual-core processing power.

I tested the camera – it was almost the same as my current Sony that is 12MP. Xperia S is set to deliver a stunning viewing experience with a high resolution screen, full Sony Bravia HD, powerful 1.5GHz dual-core processor for faster performance and a 12MP camera with Exmor sensor that takes pictures in just 1.5 seconds from standby mode. Nice aye! Diva likes…..heaps!

While I’m not about to give up my iphone and Blackberry right now in a hurry, Xperia S may just tantalise my gadget hunger palette…its great for people who want to make a fashion statement too….I love the look!

I liked the white one...matches my personal Apple computer and my white BB

Nice stuff - image courtesy the Xperia team in Dubai

The awesomeness of Yas Marina

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How cool is this place - Image courtesy Yas Marina team

Whenever I venture towards Yas Island Abu Dhabi, people automatically think it is to fratenise with car manufacturers on the circuit – but diva is not only hooked on super cars….as an island girl, I love everything relating to the sea and my current favourite place to hang out in Abu Dhabi is the Yas Marina.

Now…it has been gut wrenching not tweeting or blogging about it but I did promise dear Jonathan when I do touch on it, it will be from the heart and I will talk about my adventures there from experience – unfortunately I have only been able to do whistle stop tours recently while testing the latest cars. (Yas Island is the best place to cruise around in open top convertibles in the evenings amongst other super cars that are there for a spin on the tracks).

Having orange juice with the GM of Yas Marina Cedric Le Rest during my lunch break at Radisson earlier in the year was the first time I got to know all about Yas Marina and the fabulous way its managed by Camper & Nicholsons Marinas. Samer from Yas as well joined us for a bit of laid back chat and between Samer, Cedric and Jonathan, I found out more about Yas Marina in that one hour than I had from all my adrenaline driven visits to the Yas Island.

Camper & Nicholsons is widely recognised to be one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious yachting business names, with origins dating back to 1782. The company has specialised in marina and waterfront development for over 40 years and has provided services to clients in more than 25 countries worldwide.

Their projects range from small marinas through to developments over 500 hectares. Camper & Nicholsons Marinas International Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Camper & Nicholsons Marina Investments Limited, listed on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange. Camper & Nicholsons currently operate marinas in Abu Dhabi, Grenada, Italy, Malta and Turkey.

The guys at Camper & Nicholsons are awesome – they recently announced that berth occupancy has doubled in the last 6 months and Cedric believes its due to their extremely competitive annual berth rates – which now includes an F1TM berth.

The best bit here is the VIP Privilege Card that offers berth holders a variety of discounts and value added services to Yas Island facilities. The 2012 Annual Berth rates (starting from 16,455 AED inclusive of a berth at 2012 Formula 1™ week) and the 2012 Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Grand Prix berthing tariffs which start from 10,395 AED. One superyacht to have recently taken an annual berth at Yas Marina is the 95m Indian Empress.

The competitive tariffs, coupled with the success of Yas Island Show Weekends, featuring international superstars such as Madonna, Janet Jackson and Elton John have helped to reinforce Yas Marina’s position as an attractive home port for yachts of all sizes.

Yas Marina features a variety of dining and entertainment options ranging from fine dining at Cipriani or Yotto, to more casual settings like Stars ‘N’ Bars and the vibrant Allure Night Club by Cipriani. I absolutely love Cipriani and it was everything Cedric had said about it to me months before.

Located at the heart of the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island and located 10 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport, 20 minutes from central Abu Dhabi and 45 minutes from Dubai, Yas Marina has 143 berths for yachts up to 150m in size.  Visitors to the marina can enjoy easy access to pristine coastlines, 200 uninhabited islands and the nearby cosmopolitan cities…….looks like a place tailor made for diva!

Rixos on Palm Dubai

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Entrance to Rixos Palm Jumeirah

Couple of days ago, on my way to the Literature festival, I popped over to see bubbly Maria who had invited me over to check out Rixos Palm Dubai, part of one of the world’s fastest luxury hotel chains. I was overwhelmed by all things Turkish in a really pleasant way and had a wonderful tour by her, particularly the spa area which I think everyone knows is my biggest weakness – I can never have enough hamman experiences.

This new Rixos is certainly set to cater to UAE’s ever growing luxury leisure tourist market as well as business travellers seeking refreshing locations beyond the mainstream downtown addresses. Located on the tip of the Palm, (our very own Eighth Wonder of the world), Rixos The Palm Dubai truly salutes the daylight under astonishing 360 degree ocean views.

I loved the strikingly landscaped gardens along with the stunning beach promenade area featuring a Lounge for lunch and tapas (Ah…those Spanish days – I still cant believe that despite owning a home in Spain, I last ventured there 3 years ago. Its become my forgotten home and I’m constantly looking for golf players to go there and use my home so I feel less mad every time my agent tries to throw dodgy tenants my way. There are 3 world class golf courses 5 mins each way and 2 blue flag beaches – you would think someone would want to chill out there. Especially me but I never seem to have enough holidays in place)

I also loved the concept of Suite Beach which is a heaven of privacy for lovers away from the buzz plus a Family Beach catering to families.

The hotel’s interiors entail a modern minimalist approach blended with exclusive high-tech Innovative design elements featured in all aspects of the rooms and residences striking a balance between modern and comfortable. My twitter pic already have a preview of the awesome rooms – I adore four poster beds and while my private one has a antique feel, I also loved the modern version in the hotel’s suite.

A La Turca is the hotel’s authentic Turkish restaurant where  genuine Turkish dishes from the Aegean and the Black Sea as well as from Eastern Anatolia….i loved their seafood heaps.

Returning to the lobby, I was amusingly greeted by a bloke in a costume from the Rixy Club which is dedicated into turning children’s experiences to memorable moments through age tailored entertainment programs….no humorous comments about me looking young…its all in my head and this dude must have picked up on my young vibe.

I am a spa junkie – so as a Spa fanatic I can’t wait to try the world renowned Rixos Royal Spa that has several treatment rooms, bringing a myriad of treatments and rituals, its signature one being the Turkish Hamam, delivered with great authenticity from true Rixos Turkish heritage.

This island spa junkie can’t wait to be scrubbed to oblivion as long as a massage comes with it! Looking forward to my proper Rixos experience.

View from Rixos on my Blackberry

Living area of the suite

 

Majesty 135 and Gulf Craft’s 30 Year anniversay

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This afternoon, two of us, together with Walid got chauffeur driven to Um Al Quwain to join selected VVIPs and members of the Royal family to see the first Majesty 135 as well as celebrate the 30 year anniversary of an organisation that handles high end yacht brands in this region.  

Naturally I couldn’t say no to the invitation as no diva can resist fast cars, private airplanes, yachts or exclusive hospitality. After an afternoon with the Fijians from Shangri-la Fiji and Rajah + an evening at the literature festival, I was naturally knackered but mustered up enough energy to get myself to Umm Al Quwain.

We were welcomed by traditional Emirati music by the sea…island girl felt right at home next to the clear blue waters. We were in luck as we also ended up being the first people to see the Majesty 105 as well – awesome!

After a short drink with Erwin, COO of Gulf Craft who refers to my blog (glad someone other than David is reading them), we get talking about all things to do with yacht brands….he has awesome knowledge of these luxury machines and reiterates the success of Gulf Craft – he is just as passionate as the owners of Gulf Craft who are behind the success of their brands – Oryx, Majesty Yachts and Silver Craft.

Its rare to find people who believe so much in what they do that it becomes their life. I would love to find that love and passion and I reckon it lies in writing. Mainly because its one thing I can take control of and see it through without depending on anyone…its a liberating feeling.
I have loads of pictures of the yacht and both Erwin and Notis were amazing hosts – thanks Erwin for being so attentive and Notis for taking the time for a personal tour of the Majesty 105 despite being busy with the Who’s who of the yachting world.

With Notis on Majesty 135

It was also delightful to see the energy and enthusiasm of Trixee Loh who is the female power behind the Boat Show…its the best enlightened 2 hours I’ve spent today and its not just because Trixee is a Singaporean and I have an affinity with all that is remotely associated with Asia having lived in KL for 9 years with weekend trips to Singapore and Orchard Road. You will see the amazing work Trixee’s team has put forward at next week’s DIBS.

Meanwhile, I salute Gulf Craft, their awesome team for an amazing afternoon in Um Al Quwain. They will be a force to be reckoned with next week!

We caught up as well with Saeed Hareb on DIMC – the last time we had time for a chat was years ago with the Victory Team so today was nice just to be able to see him in an informal setting.

My next venture is a Woman’s Empowerment talk with a beautiful and magnetic Royalty – watch this space!

Majesty 105

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2012

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Last night I went to the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2012 to listen to an author (David Nichols) whose book “One Day’ I’m reading after my NJD and Eric persuaded me that it was totally up my street – and they were right as I am currently enjoying this book as my bedtime reading. 

I bumped into people I know at the festival who enthused about the breathtaking display of readings, poetry, song and dance at the spectacular theatre that  is part of Cultural & Scientific Association at Al Mamzar.  This is where I saw the Japanese Drum show last week and it was wow.

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2012 is held in Dubai between 6-10 March 2012 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and is held in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage.

I am going to some of the sessions later today. As my first project in the UAE in 2000 (DSF 2000) was for Saeed Al Nabouda, who is now the Acting Director General of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, I look forward to catching up with him hopefully at the festival – always good to stay in contact with ex clients.

I am all set for the literary sessions today as well which look awesome. I wish local author Dedra Stevenson was part of the line-up too as my daughter loves her work too. Can’t wait to hear Rashad Bukhash speak on the architectural Heritage of Dubai. I love his groups talks on design and traditional architecture so it would be delightful to hear both Rashad and Peter Jackson share their knowledge in one session.

Caption stories – the best kind

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Being a writer for my leisure groups and being in-house PR has allowed me to focus on one brand and determine with other journalists what hooks work best for them. For our press story today, although a bit long for my liking, I feel good that we spent a decent amount of time in selecting various images for various groups of media the press release was going to.

One thing we can agree on both sides of the fence (media/PR) is that a good dynamic photo can mean great publicity for your business!. As media, images are hooks that get us excited and as PR, images speak volumes eliminating the need for long draining press releases. If you’ve got the opportunity to create or capture a unique, dynamic photo that relates to your business, then half your battle is won when selling your story to the media.

For someone who has been on both media and PR sides over the last 10 years, I can vouch for this. I remember the best image brief for me in the recent years came from The Corvette UAE Club. The images were collated by the dynamic Osama and I remember us receiving images from one of our Road safety drives to the Yas Island Hotel with police escorts….Corvettes are super sexy anyway but the great photography done by one of our group members totally blew our mind.

In a nutshell, pay extra attention to photos you can create and arrange for your business and write a story to contextualise it. Corporate communications teams these days spend so much money trying to get the next hip venue for their events and press conferences that they forget to get a good photographer because their budgets are blown out of context…..pr agencies in many cases don’t dare say no and prioritise the budgets for photography. One thing is for sure, no matter how great a news story is – it will always appear naked without a powerful image to go with it.

Diva hangs out with the Dubai International Boat Show team at DIMC

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With His Highness SHeikh Marwan on board his yacht in Um Al Quwain during a Millionaire Group soiree

It is one of Dubai’s busiest weeks. All my friends are super busy….earlier today I caught up with an excited Barbara who is from the main organising team of the Dubai International Boat Show. We became friends early last year while I was shopping with NJD for a yachting weekend with friends and we clicked right away. She is awesome and we had a ball at the Motorshow together. The boat show publicity is done by Wallis Marketing (Mike Wallis and I go back years when we first went to Sharm al Sheikh together with a group for diving and dining – he of course played golf as well but I’ve never delved into this one sport – shame). Mike has an awesome team and together with them and Barbara’s dynamic team at DWTC, I reckon the public is in for a cool show this year.

Few of the cars I have driven already will also be on show :). Naturally my friends from Rolls Royce, Bentley and Mercedes Benz will be there in full force. The Supercar Promenade will show the finest models on four wheels with world class marques that will align perfectly with the prestige of the high-end boating brands.  Visitors will be able to get behind the wheel of some of the world’s fastest and most expensive cars – among them Bentley Continental Series 51, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé :). My daughter had an awesome time at last years show playing on the yachts and she showed her VIP tag to anyone who sat up and noticed. Little diva is having a fabulous time skiing in Switzerland and I have not had a single phone call :(.

This year’s 20th edition of the Dubai International Boat Show will celebrate the rich history and incredible growth of the regional maritime industry, bringing together the ‘who’s who’ in the vast sector from across five continents. In addition to an impressive number of global and regional firsts, the world’s leading marine leisure industry players will unveil their launches to tens of thousands of boating enthusiasts, confirming the event’s growing international reach and continued ability to attract top quality buyers in record numbers two decades after its inaugural staging. Members of our Millionaire Group are waiting in anticipation and keep asking me about what’s in store.

I remember hanging out 8 years ago with the Victory team at DMC when the show still revolved a lot around sports and I was doing profile stories on the main players for our Group. I’m glad they are still members of our group and still as dynamic as ever. Before that, 20 years ago, the Dubai International Boat Show was originally launched as the ‘Watersports & Powerboat Show’ as a fully indoor event held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.  Its current home at the Dubai International Marine Club, Mina Seyahi has accelerated its transformation into one of the most influential brands in the world and witnesses incredible growth of 43 times in size and 14 times the number of exhibiting companies since its inception.

Boat Show - image courtesy DIBS

According to a story Mike’s team sent our Millionaire Group today, with an astounding 33 premiers, including world and regional launches, and 750 companies plus 430 boats on display, the strength of this year’s 20th anniversary event programming clearly reaffirms its position as one of the top five international boat shows and the Middle East’s number one destination for leisure marine trade.  46 countries including Austria, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Hongkong, Madagascar, Poland, Philippines, Seychelles and Tunisia will be there.

The show will feature 186 new exhibitors and some of the world’s most renowned brands this year, including Abeking & Rasmussen, Al Futtaim Marine, Blohm + Voss Shipyards GmbH, Bombardier Business Aircraft, CSO Yachts, Dutch Thruster Group, Fehrmann Metallverarbeitung GmbH, Fraser Yachts, Green Marine, Kaiserwerft GmbH, Koot Yachts, Limassol Marina, Mave, Milano Teleport S.p.A., Oldenburger Yacht Interior GmbH & Co., Otto Pienning GmbH, RE-Boat Srl, Sunreef Yachts, Yamal Boats and many more. Plus 11 members of the world’s most prestigious super yachts builders association (SYBAss), to include Abeking & Rasmussen, AMELS, Benetti, CRN, Feadship, Fincantieri, Heesen Yachts, Lurssen, Oceanco, San Lorenzo, and Trinity Yachts, will show their latest yacht models and designs in a dedicated SYBAss Pavillion.

Several of the Dubai International Boat Show stalwarts including leading shipyard Westport have increased their space while North Africa’s latest shipyard, Koot yachts, are among the many first time exhibitors alongside Al Rubban, AM Shipyard and Dutch Thruster Group, who also make their debut appearance. Key exhibitors including Al Shaali, ART Marine, Aquaspeed, Azimut, Cummins, Emirates Boats, Gulf Craft (my favourite), Heinen & Hopman, Princess Yachts and Sunseeker will be very popular I’m sure.

Enjoy the show….Island girl is back on the clear blue waters of the Arabian Sea…even if it is on a yacht in April with my pals in Umm Al Quwain – its too cold for me still to jump into the sea so my after work swimming sessions are on hold. Next up is my take on the soiree with the 100 Top Arab Women’s networking at Emirates Towers plus the Emirates Festival of Literature – it sure is a busy March!

11th Women’s Exhibition at Dubai Ladies Club

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After my JetPad introduction, I ventured to the Dubai Ladies Club for Tim Hortons & doughnuts with none other than Dubai’s Thoraya Al Awadhi. There are very few women I admire or am friends with but ever since I have met Thoraya, early last year, it has been a delight to catch up with her at her office (Squisito) for coffee or outside. Dubai may be full of beautiful women but its not often I come across women who are beautiful, intelligent, down to earth, grounded, successful while being family oriented as Thoraya which is why no matter how tired I am end of day, I never say no to meeting with her.

Yesterday I caught up with her at the 11th exhibition that she has organised for women and I absolutely loved the abayas, the jewellery and walked out with some herbal supplements. The exhibition is for women to showcase their creativity, talent and provide as well as receive guidance in business. Thoraya targets women, especially those above 40, whose children are grown up and who may have a lot of time on their hands, to recognise their talent and to help them realise this will make them become financially secure. The idea is to encourage them to utilise their skills and help those in need with the money they earn.

I remember how I was late getting to the Thoraya Alawadhi Group of Companies the first time as I had decided to try out the Rolls Royce Phantom of a friend and the petrol was on ‘E’ – we had underestimated how far it will take us. We reached her 20 minutes late and she was most gracious and forgiving about the fact that we drove 30miles an hour to get to her. Our coffee date had started on a humorous note – our mutual friend felt we both were very similar in many ways and should meet and its great we did.

I’m so glad for that introduction because Thoraya has become my role model and since meeting her, I have become more focussed on myself, my child and the time I spend with her just like Thoraya did over the years and her daughter (Najla Al Awadhi) is a well known intellectual personality in the UAE. Thoraya herself graduated from the University of Southern California as a historian. Imagine my delight when I heard that as the company I work for has a global travelling exhibition that looks back in history on the achievements and inventions of Muslim scholars during the golden age of Islam.

It’s always great to be able to talk about all kinds of subjects with Thoraya. Most of her current events are in aid of the Al Noor which is a school for special needs children. Thoraya organizes special events and exhibitions to raise awareness for children with special needs. I have been to her events and as a woman, I really appreciated the things on offer and meeting interesting people from all walks of life.

Our last chat was a discussion on the fact that civilisations should always be built on people and not on buildings. She loves the fact that the UAE Government spends as much on developing the skills and talents of the local people as on the beautiful architecture that visitors to the country are in awe of. She also encourages the growth of the younger generation having seen how successful her own children are.

My favourite project of Thoraya’s is one that she and her partner Miss Leen Vandle designed together – They designed and built a houseboat that is ideal to be attached to beach hotels. She has a model of this currently in Dubai. It is unique and beautiful and future concepts of the boat will also include the facility of being able to travel. The houseboat is a dream home for people who like to live on water (As an Islander and a Pisces, I can totally relate). The interiors are better than any five star hotel you can visit.

Thoraya looks years younger than her age. Her secret is being happy and able to realize her dreams. Doing yoga also helps her with balancing her thoughts and keep her energy levels up. Especially as she gets up early to get her youngest daughter, Yasmeen up for school so her days starts at the same time – this is one thing I am so bad at. I definitely am not a morning person so I admire people who can start the day early with so much vigour. If you have time, do go and see Thoraya’s amazing exhibition tailored for women at the Dubai Ladies Club….its on until the evening of the 8th of March. Enjoy

JetPad – Island girl to immerse into the blue waters on a cool new toy

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This was the awesome action today at Jumeirah Beach Resort 🙂

Today I went to check out some alternatives to watersports – since my diving instructor screwed me on special offers for PADI lessons, this island girl decided there are other ways to have fun on water and the next best thing launching into the UAE next week at the Boat Show will be a new fun toy for big people like me called a JetPad.

So I had a short chat with the Chairman of JetPad, Alexander who insisted I see a demo of the said JetPad as we sat by the sea at Jumeirah Beach Hotel – I saw it, loved it but I was wearing a nice dress with my sexy Pisces sandals with strings so I could only watch this cool baby on water but have not tried it yet.

It was interesting that this is a UAE product and its all set to splash local waters – its an eco-friendly, fun thing and it is a safe personal watercraft. It is noise-free, Zero Emissions + safety-compliant. Its more like a personal watercraft (PWC) that I’m sure will address a gap in the pleasure craft market.

Historically, PWCs have received a negative response from beachgoers, environmentalists and regulators for their noise, emissions, frequent gasoline leaks and questionable safety issues – I have almost been hit by a few before. One of my Local Emirati friends has one for the kids and its a lot more bulkier than what I saw today. And with an 800km coastline in the UAE and a ban on traditional PWCs in place, the need for an alternative is pressing.

JetPad meets this market demand with a game-changing design incorporating cutting-edge safety features, and featuring innovative lithium ion battery-powered technology that results in zero emissions. Very guilt free I must add and its flip-proof. Knowing how accident prone I can be, this is a definite plus!

Weighing just 70kg, the versatile PWC is easily transported or carried on a boat and capable of reaching speeds of up to 45 km per hour. It has a runtime of 60 minutes, charges in just 30 minutes, and requires minimal maintenance.

Other key features include a controlled speed limiter, and a navigation and on-board entertainment system. Initially launching with the ‘Go-Kart’ edition, JetPad also plans to introduce the ‘Explorer’, which will appeal to budding marine biologists and oceanographers with its steering-wheel controlled fish-eye camera.

Alexander tells me that JetPads will be manufactured in the UAE using top quality ConformitéEuropéenne (CE)-approved components on an ISO-certified assembly line. The first units are set to go on sale in May 2012 locally and internationally…this Pisces water baby is thrilled!

Taiko Legend – Heart beat from Japan

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Japanese drummers in action - absolutely loved the show

This week, the Japan Foundation and the diplomatic team for the Japan Embassy and Consulate celebrated the 40th anniversary of UAE-Japan Diplomatic relations under the Patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE. The main attraction was none other than Eitetsu Hayashi, Japan’s premier Taiko drummer and guest player Makoto Takei on a Japanese bamboo flute (Shakuhachi)

Playing a big part in this of course were our good friends from the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (It was a delight to catch up with Bilal and Yasser after a long break).

After much struggle looking for signs to the Mamzar theatre, diva breathed a sigh of relief in discovering that the said theatre where the performance was going to happen was part of the Dubai Culture and Scientific Association building (I can be so ‘duh’ sometimes).

But it was worth the drive for the captivating performance titled The Taiko Legend – Heart Beat from Japan. Hayashi led the Taiko Group to perform ‘The Taiko Legend’. An acclaimed musician, Hayashi is ranked as one of the world’s leading taiko players and a foremost cultural and artistic asset of Japan. His performances range from tranquil to inspirational offering an unparalleled experience for the audience.

People who have lived in Asia may have come across Kabuki before. Until the first part of the 20th century, people in Japan used to play Taiko early morning on the performance days of kabuki theatre.  If you have not seen this before, put in on your bucket list for traditional entertainment.

I was suitably impressed by ‘Mitsumai’ (Three Dances) composed by Eitetsu Hayashi. A motif, reminiscent of matsuri bayashi (Japanese folk-festive music) is the basic phrase of this piece. The piece also featured the characteristics of Shimedaiko (this has a high pitched tone compared to other drums) and had the vital structure of a Taiko ensemble piece. I was told by my Japanese friends that Shimedaiko is traditionally accompanied with other instruments such as the vertical flute and mini tampani to make festive tunes for Japanese street festivals.

Out of the 6 main pieces, the one above was my favourite although the solo performance on the Japanese bamboo flute (Shakuhachi) came close. Ranging from traditional, to the contemporary and experimental, this simple instrument makes audience feel the beauty of sound and depth of expression.

As the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage, its awesome to see that Dubai Culture is just as dynamic & committed to strengthening cultural exchange as before, as well as facilitating exchange of ideas by providing Emirati and local artists the opportunity to work alongside international artists. All in all, a fantastic night out in terms of diva being being a culture vulture.