- Thikra: Night of Remembering, a unique world-class site-specific performance by Akram Khan and Manal AlDowayan commissioned by Wadi AlFann, premiered during the AlUla Arts Festival 2025
- Thikra has been devised in collaboration with the local AlUla community across multiple disciplines including movement, music and design
- Set design and costumes created by Wadi AlFann artist Manal AlDowayan
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — THIKRA: NIGHT OF REMEMBERING A new performance production by Akram Khan and Manal AlDowayan premiered under the stars in the ancient oasis of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, on the 25th of January as part of the AlUla Arts Festival 2025. It is commissioned by Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUla, the open-air-museum of Land Art, as part of their pre-opening programme.
A site-specific performance piece has been created by internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning choreographer Akram Khan and Wadi AlFann artist Manal AlDowayan, who represented Saudi Arabia at the 60th International Venice Biennale.
Khan joined forces with AlDowayan to create a cross-cultural performance piece. Fourteen dancers combine the traditional Indian classical dance, underpinning Khan’s choreography with contemporary rhythms and gestures inspired by the desert landscapes and ancient myths of AlUla. Thikra features an original music score by celebrated composer Aditya Prakash, with contributions from pioneering musician Loulwa Al Sharif and local musicians from AlUla Music Hub.
AlDowayan has collaborated with Madrasat Addeera, AlUla’s art and design centre, and the local artisans to create banners for the opening sequence. Furthermore, the artist has designed costumes, weaving traditional craft techniques with contemporary aesthetics, using natural dyes and pigments made to reflect the tonalities of AlUla’s landscape. Visual aesthetics include set and costume design, banners, make-up and jewellery which take inspiration from the landscape, rich history and heritage including the Nabataeans and geometric motifs to signify the role and symbolism of each protagonist.
Thikra resonates with AlUla’s commitment to engaging multi-generational local audiences and fostering cultural development across movement, music and design. The performance is inspired by local traditions and engages young Saudi professionals through workshops and training sessions led by Akram Khan Company and Manal AlDowayan. The musical composition includes recordings of local percussionists and members of the AlUla community, who play a key role in the opening sequence and procession. The programme stages an interface for artistic encounters in the arts sector, to ignite aspirations for the local creative ecosystem and to inspire the young generation. Community workshops have been led by performers Jumana Al Refai and Bilal Allaf.
Performing alongside some of the world’s greatest dancers, a group of forty local people have formed a procession meeting guests at a circular stage, set against the monumental cliffs of Wadi AlFann’s desert canyon. The audience sat under the stars, on traditional Sadu weaved carpets. They have experienced an imagined gathering where performers expressed the retrieval of a lost past to find healing and transcendence. Thikra reflects the idea that without a past, there is no future.
The performance has taken place against the breathtaking backdrop of Wadi AlFann, which translates to ‘Valley of the Arts’; a 65-square-kilometre global cultural destination for contemporary Land Art, where works by international artists are being permanently installed in the landscape of AlUla.
Commissioned by Wadi AlFann, Thikra takes inspiration from AlUla’s heritage, dramatic topography, undulating vistas, remarkable geological structures, complex natural ecosystem and local communities. The world premiere of Thikra was part of Wadi AlFann’s dynamic site-specific performance programme which has included Fenling Company’s musical production Nine Songs and performances by artists Ahaad Alamoudi, Afra Atiq, Mohammad Al Faraj and Moza Almatrooshi. Following its premiere in AlUla, Thikra will embark on a world tour as Akram Khan Company’s major new production for 2025, adapted as an indoor performance, bringing AlUla culture, heritage and artistry to audiences worldwide.
This performance is part of the AlUla Arts Festival, which runs from 16 January to 22 February 2025, and offers visitors an immersive journey through art, design, artist residencies and workshops set against the backdrop of the ancient city. Key highlights of this year’s Festival are an exhibition of work by Wadi AlFann artist James Turrell, site-specific exhibits and installations, alongside public programs of classes, interactive activities and more.
Manal AlDowayan comments
Thikra deepens my exploration of AlUla’s voices, which began with my research for Oasis of Stories in 2018, my upcoming commission for Wadi AlFann. It marks a personal milestone as my first time working on both costume and set design as well as my first collaboration with my friend and great creative force Akram Khan. This unique opportunity has allowed me to incorporate performance into my artistic practice, blending performance, sound, costume and local artistry to honour the past and inspire the future. It has been a privilege to collaborate with the AlUla community, who hold a special place in my heart.
Akram Khan comments
I’m thrilled to have collaborated with the wonderful Manal AlDowayan on this special commission for AlUla Arts Festival. I’ve always believed that our vision of the future is shaped by the past, and throughout history, each culture has had its own unique perspective on what lies ahead. Standing amidst the vastness of the AlUla desert, in Wadi AlFann, I felt compelled to uncover the layers of cultures that have passed through this landscape. The integration of the local community has been an incredibly meaningful experience with their voices embedded throughout the work. I am super excited to be presenting Thikra with Manal, in AlUla, before sharing with audiences worldwide.
Nora Aldabal, Director of Arts and Creative Industries, Royal Commission for AlUla
In the lead up to the opening of Wadi AlFann, and as part of the AlUla Arts Festival 2025, we are delighted to present Thikra as part of our ongoing performance programme, offering visitors a taste of the new awe-inspiring global destination for contemporary art that is Wadi AlFann. This performance not only brings worldwide attention to AlUla’s unique landscape steeped in thousands of years of natural, historical and cultural heritage but also highlights the invaluable contributions of local talent and craftsmanship. We are pleased to welcome back Manal AlDowayan to AlUla, where her deep connection with the local community continues to inspire cultural dialogue. Through projects like Thikra, we strengthen our cultural identity and inspire the next generation of creatives in Saudi Arabia.
For more information visit:
www.livingmuseum.com
@artsalula | #wadialfann
PRESS CONTACTS:
Pelham Communications
Saskia Deliss [email protected]
Rosie Lowit [email protected]
Media Contact, [email protected]
Please find the press kit here.
Royal Commission for AlUla
[email protected]
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Thikra world tour:
A commitment to present Thikra has been secured from some of the most prestigious international festivals and venues. These will be announced individually by the respective festivals and venues over the coming year.
Creative Team:
Akram Khan, Choreographer
Manal AlDowayan, Visual Director
Aditya Prakash, Composer
Gareth Fry, Sound Design
Zeynep Kepekli, Lighting Design
Jumana Al Refai, Community Movement Practitioner
Bilal Allaf, Community Movement Consultant & Practitioner
Mavin Khoo, Creative Associate / Coach
Blue Pieta, Dramaturge
Angela Towler, Rehearsal Director
Farooq Chaudhry, Producing Director
Pallavi Anand, Dancer
Ching-Ying Chien, Dancer
Kavya Ganesh, Dancer
Nikita Goile, Dancer
Samantha Hines, Dancer
Jyotsna Jagannathan, Dancer
Mythili Prakash, Dancer
Azusa Seyama Proville, Dancer
Divya Ravi, Dancer
Mei Fei Soo, Dancer
Harshini Sukumaran, Dancer
Shreema Upadhyaya, Dancer
Kimberly Yap, Dancer
Hsin-Hsuan Yu, Dancer
Musicians and Vocalists (in recorded composition): Loulwa Al Sharif and over 35 other international musicians and vocalists including contributions from local talent from AlUla.
Manal AlDowayan Biography
Manal AlDowayan is one of Saudi Arabia’s most significant contemporary artists working internationally. Her work, which spans various mediums including photography, sound, sculpture, and participatory practice, interrogates traditions, collective memories, and the status and representation of women.
AlDowayan’s work has been exhibited regionally and internationally in institutions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, USA (2023); the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada (2023); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA (2023); Louvre Abu Dhabi, UAE (2023); Misk Art Institute, Saudi Arabia (2023, 2022); Setouchi Triennale, Japan (2022); Diriyah Biennale, Saudi Arabia (2022); Taehwa River Eco Festival, Korea (2021); Victoria & Albert Museum, UK (2021); British Museum, UK (2021); Desert X AlUla, Saudi Arabia (2020); the Aga Khan Museum, Canada(2018); Institut du monde arabe, France (2017); the Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE (2016); Santander Art Gallery, Spain (2016); Prospect New Orleans, USA (2014); Gwangju Museum of Art, South Korea (2014); Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Qatar (2014); among others. In 2024, AlDowayan represented Saudi Arabia at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia.
Her works can be found in the collections of the British Museum, UK; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark; the Centre Pompidou, France; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Qatar; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, USA. She participated in the Robert Rauschenberg Residency, USA (2015), and the artist-in-residence program at the Delfina Foundation, UK (2009). She holds an MA in Contemporary Art Practice in Public Spheres from the Royal College of Art, London. Born in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 1973, AlDowayan currently lives and works between London and Dhahran.
Akram Khan Biography
Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists of today. In just over 23 years he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as Jungle Book reimagined, Outwitting the Devil, XENOS, Until the Lions, Kaash, iTMOi, DESH, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees.
As an instinctive and natural collaborator, Khan has been a magnet to world-class artists from other cultures and disciplines. His previous collaborators include the National Ballet of China, actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem, choreographers/dancers Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Israel Galván, singer Kylie Minogue, indie rock band Florence and the Machine, visual artists Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley and Tim Yip, writer Hanif Kureishi and composers Steve Reich, Nitin Sawhney, Jocelyn Pook and Ben Frost.
A highlight of his career was the creation of a section of the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony that was received with unanimous acclaim.
Khan has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career including the Laurence Olivier Award, the Bessie Award (New York Dance and Performance Award), the prestigious ISPA Distinguished Artist Award, the Fred and Adele Astaire Award, the Herald Archangel Award at the Edinburgh International Festival, the South Bank Sky Arts Award and ten Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards for his Company, AKC. Khan was awarded an MBE for services to dance in 2005. In 2022, he was announced as the new Chancellor of De Montfort University, and he is also an Honorary Graduate of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, University of London as well as Roehampton and De Montfort Universities, and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Laban. Khan is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, London as well as Curve.
About Arts AlUla:
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance, presenting the art of our time, and shaping a future propelled by creativity. AlUla has long been a consistent and ever-evolving hub of cultural transfer. It has been a place of passage, a crossroads for trade, and home to successive civilizations who carved, sculpted and inscribed their lives into the landscape. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Arts AlUla will bring to fruition a series of new initiatives, projects and exhibitions. The artwork curation will speak to RCU’s vision for the continued development of AlUla’s contemporary art scenes: positioning the arts as a key contributor to AlUla’s character, the quality of life for its local community and the region’s economic future.
Arts AlUla focuses on transferring the talents of the Saudi nation and the local AlUla community into meaningful long-standing social and economic opportunities. This is a key part of the Journey through Time masterplan bringing together the 15 different landmark destinations for culture, heritage and creativity across AlUla.
About Wadi AlFann:
Wadi AlFann, meaning ‘Valley of the Arts’, will be a global cultural destination for contemporary art, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
New, large-scale, site-specific commissions by Manal AlDowayan (b. 1973, Saudi Arabia), Agnes Denes (b. 1931, Hungary), Michael Heizer (b. 1944, USA), Ahmed Mater (b. 1979, Saudi Arabia) and James Turrell (b. 1943, USA) will be the first five works to be conceived for Wadi AlFann, a spectacular valley spanning approximately 65 square kilometres. These initial five works will mark the start of a continued programme of commissions, with more artists and activities to be announced.
Wadi AlFann will offer a profound opportunity to experience art in dialogue with nature. Learning from the desert, the artists are responding to the landscape of AlUla, taking inspiration from its dramatic topography, undulating vistas, remarkable geological structures and complex natural ecosystem. The works will be created with respect for the landscape, set against the stunning sandstone cliffs and canyons of the vast terrain.
Wadi AlFann will provide unparalleled opportunities for local communities to experience art as a source of education and enrichment. Through job creation, skills development and engagement with local creatives, Wadi AlFann will strengthen AlUla’s cultural economy, inspiring a new generation of arts professionals and enhancing quality of life for its residents.
This epic new destination will also welcome art lovers, adventurers, and globetrotters from across the world on a transformative cultural journey to a unique place of creative and geographical wonder, continuing the region’s history as a place of cross-cultural exchangeAbout AlUla:
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of 111 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement. Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Roman’s conquered the Nabataeans in 106 CE.
In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages, which has been recently listed on the UNESCO’s memory of the World Register. Also AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, has been selected as one of the World’s Best Tourism Villages in 2022 by the UNWTO. Additionally, Hijaz Railway and Hegra Fort, which are key sites in the story and conquests of Lawrence of Arabia.
For more information, please visit: www.experiencealula.com
About AlUla Moments:
AlUla Moments is AlUla’s new home for events. This calendar of events was launched at the end of 2021 and introduced new festivals to celebrate and unlock AlUla’s stories, uncover its secrets, and celebrate local and international cultures. With 7,000 years of civilisations and home to some of the most sophisticated ancient kingdoms of antiquity, AlUla is no stranger to social gatherings and cultural celebrations.
AlUla Moments calendar introduces five festivals: Winter at Tantora, which returned to celebrate heritage, culture, and music; the Ancient Kingdoms Festival that celebrates the ancient civilisations that lived in AlUla and its neighboring oases in Khaybar and Tayma; in addition to the AlUla Skies Festival, AlUla Arts Festival, and AlUla Wellness Festival.
The festivals offer a selection of experiences in art, culture, music, nature, wellness, equestrian activities, dining, and astronomy. All of these experiences were in celebration of the culture, history, legacy and history of AlUla.
AlUla Moments additionally introduces a number of marquee events, including AZIMUTH, Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo, The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup, AlUla Camel Cup, and a variety of fashion, adventure and sporting events.
For more information, please visit experiencealula.com/en/alula-moments
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/458bc91c-a126-4a84-9383-2face0baa28d
