A group of Emiratis and UAE residents with intellectual disabilities bopped to the music, swayed to peppy tunes and kept time to the rhythm at the opening ceremony of the IX MENA Special Olympic games on Sunday.
The young adults with disabilities held centre stage during an eight-minute musical piece to reflect inclusion as part of a troupe of professional dancers.
It took five days of intensive preparation, six hours of daily practice, commuting between Abu Dhabi and Dhabi for rehearsals and a lot of spunk for the group to get ready for their debut on a mega platform in front of thousands.
“I’m in a wheelchair so I never imagined I would ever be part of a dance performance and on a stage," said Emirati Ahmed Al Qubaisi.
“I realise I was a bit crazy to say I would be interested to perform. I usually stick out because of my wheelchair but in this I feel part of a team.”
Another young adult with developmental disabilities said the team spirit from being part of a unit carried them through.
“It has been exhausting for me because it was really long practice. But I don’t feel my disability any more. I feel like part of a team. If one of us dropped out, then the performance would be different. I can’t let my team down so that keeps me moving,” the UAE resident said.
Big screens captured the dance that featured a circle of inclusion and kicked off with young Emiratis waiting for their friends to arrive at the airport.
When the visitors trailing suitcases arrive, they greet their Emirati friends with high-fives, pose for selfies and participate in a medley of dances using props such as over-sized colourful gym balls.
“It’s an eye-opening moment because people may think that people with intellectual disabilities will just come on stage and wave a bit to the crowd. But for this, they really had to put in a lot of work, it’s professional and they perform great. It’s also an opportunity through this project for them to extend their social network. It’s not just about being on stage but shows their ability to participate and that is such a powerful thing,” said Renate Baur-Richter, programme manager at Sedra Foundation in Abu Dhabi.
“The idea was a beautiful concept to convey the story that Abu Dhabi and the UAE wants to welcome people with disabilities from all over the world. It’s really to convey through the performance that they are unified in a passion for sports and a more inclusive future for all.”
Eight volunteers from the centre trained with a professional troupe of dancers for the piece. The research centre Sedra seeks integration of people with disabilities in schools and at work.
“It proves that students with intellectual disability can work for six hours a day, be part of a full day of training and a long drive between the emirates. We just have to adapt to their way of learning. If you structure the training, everyone can participate and shine,” she said.
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The training also marked a milestone from some families since it helped them understand that their children were capable of working on their own in a new environment.
Interacting with people they did not know has made some families open to vocational training and internship opportunities for the young adults once the games are over.
“The dancers adapted the training to the capability of each student and it was lovely to see them work with highly trained professionals in a unified performance. The idea is that everyone can contribute. They have never worked together so we saw the power of team building,” Ms Baur-Richter said.
The team had to take into account that the opening ceremony with bright lights, loud music, flash photography from thousands of cameras and mobile phones would be an intimidating environment.
“There is so much of sensory over-stimulation on stage that can make it stressful so we were careful because there are so many influences they have to deal with,” she said about readying for the event.
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Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fixtures
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What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
SPECS
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