####Hekayah

On Dec. 5, the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center hosted Hekayah: The Story in celebration of UAE National Day. It was the second annual multiple-artist celebration of the UAE’s heritage with performances including poetry, prose, music and calligraphy.

The event was curated by Executive Artistic Director of The Arts Center Bill Bragin, Assistant Arts Professor Jill Magi and founder of Rooftop Rhythms Dorian Paul Rogers, alongside Emirati poet Mohamed Alhashimi, UAE-based artist Zari Jafri and NYUAD senior Nafisatou Mounkaila.

Emirati poet Husain bin Soudah, member of the Emirates Writers Union, was the first to perform. Performers from NYUAD included Deepak Unnikrishnan, lecturer in the Writing Program, Mahnaz Yousefzadeh, professor of Italian and Liberal Studies at NYU New York and two students, senior Dhia Fairus Shofia Fani and junior Shamma Al Bastaki. Other performers from the UAE included singer-songwriter Tim Timmi and hip hop artist Kenda Rae.

Artists employed both English and Arabic in their performances, blending mediums and sharing stories revolving around themes of family, identity and displacement.

####Attitude Dance Society

Attitude Dance Society hosted its biannual recital in the Black Box Theater of the NYUAD Arts Center on Dec. 9. The program consisted of both solo and group performances by students of all class years, in styles including hip hop, ballet and Polynesian dance.

Sophomore Reine Defranco, who attended the recital, said “everyone around me [was] cheering constantly … we were all so impressed with the efforts our friends put into each dance.”

This is the second time that Attitude has used the Black Box instead of one of the forums in the NYUAD Campus Center. President of Attitude sophomore Sara Booth believes there has been a lot of progress in the event in comparison to previous semesters.

“I think working with the tech team and producers in the Arts Center and using the Black Box really increases the interest in the ADS dance recital and allows it to be more professional,” commented Booth. “Last year's hip hop performance had around 8 dancers and this year we had over 20.”

####Volunteer Appreciation Day

The NYUAD Office of Community Outreach hosted their Volunteer Appreciation Evening on Dec. 3. Students who had volunteered throughout the year, as well as staff and faculty members supportive of the OCO, were invited to the East Terrace outside the library for dinner and conversation about volunteering in the Abu Dhabi community. The evening opened with remarks from student OCO interns and Dean of Students Kyle Farley.

OCO intern sophomore Rabiya Imran spoke about what made the event unique.

“What makes it particularly special for everyone is the fact that this is the only event where the Office of Community Outreach gets a chance to celebrate the NYUAD community for all the good that they do.”