Katara, British Council Announce Cultural Partnership

Doha, February 18 (QNA) -Katara, the Cultural Village and the British Council have announced an exclusive partnership which allows culture fans to experience a taste of British contemporary dance for the first time in Qatar. The partnership presents the winner of The Age Critics Award for Best New Work at the 2010 Melbourne Festival, Akram Khan s "Vertical Road", Katara said in a statement Saturday. The partnership was signed ahead of the Akram Khan performance which is taking place on Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th February at the Drama Theatre, Building 16, Katara, with pre-show discussions and talks inspired by the content and artistic process. The exciting performance comes under the British Council s "New Work New Audiences" program that supports innovation in the cultural sectors of the Middle East and the UK, providing more people the opportunity to experience arts. It covers theatre, dance, literature, music and visual arts. The performance is a major new British style of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres. Contemporary dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through dance movements, using gravity to pull them down to the floor. British Council Qatar Director Simon Winetroube said: "Through our program New Works New Audiences, the British Council showcases the best of new and innovative art from the UK, as well as facilitating the exchange of ideas and knowledge. The quality of venue at Katara allows us to do that at the highest level. We are thrilled that our collaboration with Katara has brought from the UK to Qatar the award winning Vertical Road, performed by the acclaimed Akram Khan Company. I would like to thank Katara for their partnership with us. I hope and expect that this will be the one of many collaborations which will give more and more Qataris and residents in Qatar the opportunities to experience the best of contemporary UK arts." For his part, Emad Sultan, Cultural Affairs Director, Katara commented, "We are proud to partner with the British Council as Katara continues to play a significant role in connecting cultures and civilizations. We look forward to working with the British Council to provide arts and culture lovers a flavor of English heritage. At Katara, we aim to offer strong and exciting cultural experiences across Doha and our partnership with the British Council is a move in the right direction." British Council Projects Manager Lana Kayed said: "We are happy to partner with Katara on such an exciting project, this performance underlines our work to develop and encourage culture through our arts projects as it allows audiences in Qatar and in the UK to experience the power of Arts in developing cultural understanding, trust and dialogue. We look forward to start showcasing the Award winning performance for the first time in Qatar and we invite all interested people to join us and enjoy it." Following the partnership, Katara will work closely with the British Council to prepare educational workshops from some of the UK s best performing arts institutions. Many exciting activities are due to be revealed in the coming months. The partners continue to plan and map out activities for the next major cultural events that will hit Doha this season. (QNA)