Also performing at Festival in the Park

In addition to workshops and family activities, the Abu Dhabi Festival event will host performances by the following international artists

Nesma Abdel Aziz performs duirng the Sharjah World Music Festival in Sharjah. Satish Kumar / The National

Nesma Abdel Aziz

After impressing the crowd at the Sharjah World Music Festival in 2015, the Egyptian artist returns to the UAE with her mammoth marimba set. Abdel Aziz's performance should act as a welcome introduction to an instrument which has for more than 500 years appeared in music from Central America and Africa. The marimba is so popular in Guatemala that it is considered a national symbol. After a stint performing as part of Cairo Opera House orchestra, Abdel Aziz formed her own group and toured Egypt, Italy, Spain and the Gulf. Performance time: Thursday at 6pm and Friday at 9pm

Gilles Chuyen

Because India is Guest of Honour at this year’s Abu Dhabi Festival, the event is staging performances that show the nation’s rich cultural history. It is because of that history that Gilles Chuyen was inspired to study Indian dance in his native France. With his skills strong enough to launch a choreography career, Chuyen performed and created pieces blending elements of Indian and classical western dance in addition to conducting dance workshops. He is also a keen proponent of flash mobs, staging impromptu performances in front of Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art and the Cairo and Sydney opera houses. Performance time: Thursday at 7pm and Friday at 6pm

For details, visit www.abudhabifestival.ae