Katara, the Cultural Village, and the British Council have announced an exclusive partnership that would bring a taste of British contemporary dance for the first time to culture fans 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’ in Qatar. The partnership was signed ahead of the Akram Khan performances on February 27-28 at the Drama Theatre, Building 16 at 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’ programme 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 programme 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 to Qatar the award winning Vertical Road. 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.”Katara Cultural Affairs director Emad Sultan echoed the sentiment. “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 flavour 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: “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.”Katara will work closely with the British Council to prepare educational workshops from some of the UK’s best performing arts institutions. Tickets for all events will be available from Virgin during store hours (9:30am-midnight) at both Landmark and Villaggio outlets or online at
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