The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) will host the Palestinian/US company Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre’scontemporary performance of Last Ward on Friday, February 10 at 7:30 pm in The Red Theater. The show will be held with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef& Arpels.
Last Ward addresses universal human experiences, and follows one man’s final journey in a hospital room. Surrounded by the sterile mechanisms of modern medicine, the patient reflects on his life, relationships, and connection to place, as the ritual of doctor visits and family calls transforms into an increasingly bizarre landscape of tragedy and humor.
Last Ward features an international cast including the acclaimed Palestinian actor Khalifa Natour performing a script in Arabic with English subtitles. The performance was created in residencies at Baryshnikov Arts Center (New York City), Chaillot –Théâtre National de la Danse (Paris), El-Hakawati theater (Jerusalem), and Jacob’s Pillow (Becket, Massachusetts).
The Arts Center Executive Artistic Director Bill Bragin said: “We’re very excited to host the Arab world premiere of Last Ward, and share their unique approach to deeply resonant, powerfully performed dance theater. The Arts Center has been developing loyal audiences for a broad range of dance and dance theater, especially artists rooted in the region. In the case of Yaa Samar!, several of the dancers in the company were part of Badke, which was presented in our second season, and playwright/ director Amir Nizar Zuabi was part of our Arab Voices play reading festival.
“Last Ward also reflects this season’s theme, ‘Stories’, in the way it tells stories through text and movement, and demonstrates the power to make connections around the most universal of themes – the fragility of being human.”
Van Cleef& Arpels’ Director of Dance and Culture Program Serge Laurent added: “Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre is a company whose work I discovered through our fruitful collaboration with the Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi. The quality and uniqueness of their artistic approach, which combines both narrative and dance movement, is now widely celebrated around the world. Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre is also committed to providing challenging educational programs that broaden access to and understanding of the arts. All of these initiatives are perfectly in line with Dance Reflections by Van Cleef& Arpels’ commitment to creation, transmission and education.
“It is therefore once again a source of pride for us to support the Arts Centre by presenting to the Abu Dhabi public a wonderful example of the richness of international choreographic creation.”
YSDT creates invigorating performance and education programs that expand access to and promote understanding through the arts. A female and minority led organization, YSDT believes art should be liberating, transformative, and accessible to all. The company operates out of Palestine and the United States and is committed to uniting diverse artists and audiences in the creative process. Since 2005, the non-profit has produced more than 30 original works that have been seen in 10 countries across four continents.
