Top 10: See traditional Emirati dancing at Al Ain Oasis, skate in the Vampire Ball at Dubai Ice Rink

Your essential guide to what's happening in the Emirates

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, Feb. 20, 2015:  
People peruse the exhibitions and enjoy festival offerings while they tour the activities at the Qasr al Hosn Festival 2015 on Friday Feb. 20, 2015. (Photo / Silvia Razgova)
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Al Ain

Cultural event

Visit Al Ain Oasis to experience authentic local culture through weekly dance performances organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi as part of the Annual Al Ain Cultural Programme. The traditional Emirati folk dance, Ayyala, is performed by men in groups, facing each other and reciting poetry while brandishing swords to the beat of traditional drums and tambourines. The Harbiya dance features two lines of men facing each other reciting melodic phrases in a representation of celebrating a victory against an enemy.

Mondays, 10am to 1pm, Al Ain Oasis, Al Ain, www.visitalain.ae

Abu Dhabi

Film screening

Cinema Space presents a screening of Ugetsu, a 1953 Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizogushi about two villagers whose pursuit of fame and fortune lead them away from home. The film reveals the truth about the ravages of war, the plight of women and the pride of men. The film is in Japanese with English subtitles.

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

Nationwide

Kids’ fun

Fun City offers the 100 Days of Play Membership, which gives children ages 1 to 12 unlimited access to all Fun City, Fun Ville and Fun Works outlets for Dh99. Younger children will enjoy the supervised areas that feature dress up, motor-play areas and craft zones. Older children, between the ages of ages 5 to 12, can burn off energy in the play zones with safe places to slide, run, climb and jump, with ball pits, ladders and blocks.

Available daily, Dh99 and valid for 100 days, at Fun City, Fun Ville and Fun Works venues across the UAE, www.funcity.ae

With the 100 Days of Play Membership for Dh99, kids can enjoy unlimited fun for 100 days at all Fun City venues across the UAE. Fun City
With the 100 Days of Play Membership for Dh99, kids can enjoy unlimited fun for 100 days at all Fun City venues across the UAE. Fun City

Abu Dhabi

Tennis event

Get tickets to the 10th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, featuring top players from around the world including Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Pablo Carreno Busta and Dominic Thiem. Plus, enjoy the Tennis Village, autograph sessions and player coaching clinics.

December 28 to 30, from noon daily, from Dh100, International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, www.ticketmaster.ae

Dubai

Family fun

Dress up for the Vampire Ball skating sessions at Dubai Ice Rink and enjoy a themed atmosphere with spooky-themed songs such as Ghostbusters and Monster Mash, as well as a fancy-dress competition. Plus, visit the completely dark haunted maze by Hysteria, the haunted attraction, for some creepy fun and get a voucher to attend the Vampire Ball.

Today and tomorrow, 8.30pm for the Vampire Ball, Dh80; 10am to midnight for the haunted maze, Dh80 includes a Dh20 Hysteria voucher and Dh20 Dubai Ice Rink skating session voucher, Dubai Ice Rink, The Dubai Mall, Dubai, 04 448 5111, www.dubaiicerink.com

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Abu Dhabi

Exhibition

The Palimpsest Series is a photographic exhibition by Wendy Bednarz, an arts and new media professor at New York University Abu Dhabi. The exhibition is an audio-visual experience featuring images from Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar presented with the accompanying soundtrack of the Palimpsest Soundscape.

Daily until November 6, noon to 8pm, Mondays to Saturdays (closed Sundays), NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, 02 628 8000, www.nyuad-artgallery.org

Dubai

Kids’ yoga

Register your children, ages 8 to 12, for free yoga at Mind Body Soul, a happiness centre, where every Wednesday they can take part in a programme led by Angelique Michel that will encourage them to open their hearts and feelings, release fear, develop tolerance, embrace others’ qualities, practice selflessness and broaden their awareness. In each session, the children are encouraged to share something nice about each other.

Wednesdays in November, 4.15pm, free, Mind Body Soul, Unit 1409, Metropolis Tower, Business Bay, Dubai, register at 054 441 8272, info@happinesscenter.com

Register your children for free yoga classes Wednesdays at Mind Body Soul, a happiness centre. Mind Body Soul
Register your children for free yoga classes Wednesdays at Mind Body Soul, a happiness centre. Mind Body Soul

Dubai

Performance

Get tickets for Cirque du Soleil Toruk: The First Flight, inspired by James Cameron's Avatar. The performance transports you to the world of Pandora in a stunning live setting. Experience a storytelling odyssey through cutting-edge visuals, puppetry and stagecraft with a soaring score that captures the imagination. The live immersive experience is an ode to the Na'vi race's coexistence with nature and their belief in the interconnectedness of all living things.

January 4 to 17, from Dh295, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, www.tixbox.com

Dubai

Exhibition

The exhibition She Rises presented by local artist Budour Al Ali celebrates female empowerment and marks the occasion of Emirati Women’s Day, which was held in August, with her new collection of 12 paintings that capture the heritage and beauty of the UAE as well as the strength of women in the Arab and Muslim world.

Daily until December 15, open all day, first floor, Sofitel Dubai Downtown, Dubai

Nationwide

New movie

Jigsaw is the eighth instalment of the Saw franchise and takes place more than a decade after the death of the Jigsaw killer when police are investigating a new series of murders that follow his modus operandi. Horror, starring Matt Passmore, Tobin Bell, Hannah Emily Anderson, Cle Bennett and Callum Keith Rennie.

Screening at cinemas across the UAE (18+)