10 things to do today: Get tickets to see Eddie Izzard, take part in free yoga sessions at Marasi Business Bay, and more

Courtesy Dubai Properties

Courtesy The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi

Courtesy Alliance Francaise Abu Dhabi

Photo by Ian Gavan / Getty Images

Courtesy NYU Abu Dhabi

Courtesy Dubai Opera

Courtesy Z Gallery

Karwai Tang / WireImage

Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for April 17, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Ellen Fortini rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE.

Want to see your event listed here? Email us with the details and contact information at [e-mail]

Abu Dhabi

Film screening

Catch a screening of Before the Rain, as part of the Cinema Space series of films at Manarat Al Saadiyat. The Macedonian film, directed by Milcho Manchevski, paints a portrait of hatred during the strife of the war-torn Balkan states in the 1990s, focusing on the stories of an Orthodox Christian monk, a British photo agent and a Macedonian war photographer. The film is in Albanian, Macedonian and English.

Tonight, 7.30pm, free with registration, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, register at cinemaspace-abudhabi.splashthat.com

Dubai

Yoga classes

Take part in free yoga sessions at Marasi Business Bay, hosted by Piloga Studio Pilates & Yoga. Rejuvenate on Mondays with Morning Warror, a power workout that sets the pace for the day, and on Wednesdays, unwind with a relaxing candlelight and essential oils session. Bring your own yoga mat.

Mondays, 7am; Wednesdays, 7pm, free, Marasi Park, next to Volante Building, Marine Boat Station, Marasi Business Bay, Dubai, www.facebook.com/MarasiDP

Abu Dhabi

Concert

Register to attend Bach to Berio as presented by the NYU Abu Dhabi Music Program. Hear works across three centuries, from Bach to the late 20th century, as well as feature pieces by two NYU Abu Dhabi composers – David Lesser (pictured) and Carlos Guedes – culminating in Luciano Berio's Altra Voce, and followed by a film by NYUAD student Harshini Karunaratne.

April 26, 7.30pm, Blue Hall, NYU Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, www.nyuad-artscenter.org

Abu Dhabi

Art exhibition

Alliance Française Dubai presents Gold Up, an exhibition of works by French artist Claude Guenard. He deconstructs the basic figures extracted from art and fashion magazines and sketches over them, questioning imagery, revealing the hidden motivations of society and the secrets of the subconscious mind. Pictured: Rose la Catalane

Daily until May 8, 9am to 8pm, Sundays to Thursdays; 10am to 6pm on Saturdays (closed on Fridays), Alliance Française Abu Dhabi, off 32nd Street near Irish Embassy, Abu Dhabi, 02 666 6232, www.afabudhabi.org

Abu Dhabi

Concert

Buy tickets to see Olly Murs perform at du Forum. The British singer comes to Abu Dhabi for the first time with his Spring Tour show. Hits include You Don't Know Love, Troublemaker, Heart Skips a Beat, Army of Two and Grow Up.

April 28, from Dh250, du Forum, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.ticketmaster.ae

Abu Dhabi

Kids’ fun

Register your children, ages 3 to 6, to take part in the Jammie Jam Thursdays sessions at Bodytree Studio – a fun pajama party presented by the Moms Guide Abu Dhabi – which includes upbeat dancing, a relaxing bedtime story, a calming stretching session and milk and cookies. Children will be encouraged to read to one another and a mobile library will enable them to borrow books every week.

Thursday, 5pm to 6pm, from Dh60 per session, Bodytree Studio, Abu Dhabi, 02 443 4448, www.bodytreestudio.com

Dubai

Art event

Book your spot on the Road Trip as part of Alserkal Programming and visit the exhibitions The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence at Manarat Al Saadiyat and But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community, 1988-2008 at New York University Abu Dhabi Art Gallery.

April 29, 3pm departure from Nadi Al Quoz, Alserkal Avenue; 8.45pm, return to Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, reservations free on a first-come, first-served basis, [e-mail]

Dubai

Performance

Get tickets to see Raiders of the Lost Ark in concert at Dubai Opera. John Williams's score will be performed by the Symphony Orchestra as the film screens. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, professor of archaeology, who is tasked with recovering the Ark of the Covenant before it falls into the hands of the Nazis.

Wednesday and Friday, 8pm, from Dh150, Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, www.dubaiopera.com

Dubai

Art exhibition

See the exhibition Abstract Calligraphy by Canadian artist Hamza Abdulbasit. The exhibition features works that represent his love for bold abstracts, with Arabic and Urdu scripts, featuring one character at a time, imposed on bold backgrounds in colours that reflect the cultures and people of these languages. Pictured: Dubai

Daily until June 30, 10am to 10pm, Z Gallery, first floor, Four Points by Sheraton, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, 04 323 0333, www.fourpointssheikhzayedroad.com

Dubai

Comedy show

Get tickets to see British comedian Eddie Izzard, who brings his Force Majeure tour to Dubai. Izzard is known for his stream-of-consciousness monologues, and has appeared in films including Ocean's Twelve, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Valkyrie.

April 27, doors open at 7pm, Dh295, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, www.platinumlist.net