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Dubai's cultural life comes in a distant third to making money and having fun, with cultural activities (where they are available at all) limited in scale. Dubai has always suffered from not having a major venue for cultural performances, although the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, Level 2, Mall of the Emirates (tel: (04) 341 4777; website: www.dubaitheatre.org), is a welcome new addition. With such a small population, there are no major indigenous orchestras or dance companies, although it is possible to find localised groups who occasionally put on public performances. A relative hive of cultural activity is the Creative Art Centre, Al-Jumeirah Road (tel: (04) 344 4394), which runs from Saturday to Wednesday. Mornings are reserved for young children, afternoons for older children and, during winter, evenings are set aside for adult classes. A wide range of cultural and handicraft activities are covered. The Dubai International Art Centre, off Al-Jumeirah Road (tel: (04) 344 4398; website: www.artdubai.com) offers a similar range, as well as art displays, with works for sale. Visiting international acts occasionally spice up the music scene. The Time Out Ticket Line sells tickets for events (tel: 800 4669; website: www.itp.net/tickets). |
Music: Opportunities to hear classical music performed in Dubai are extremely limited.
Theatre: Dubai Drama Group (tel: (04) 333 1155; website: www.dubaidramagroup.org) is an amateur theatrical company with over 100 members. Dubai's first purpose-built community theatre, Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre, has opened at the Mall of the Emirates.
Dance: There are no real dance companies in Dubai, although there are a number of dance schools, including the renowned Ballet Centre, behind Jumeirah Plaza (tel: (04) 344 9776), with ballet, jazz, tap and modern dance on offer.
Film: Going to the cinema is a very popular pastime in Dubai with around a dozen cinemas to choose from. These include Cinestar at the Mall of the Emirates (tel: (04) 341 4222), Grand Cineplex next to Wafi City (tel: (04) 324 2000) and Grand Mercato in Jumeirah at the Mercato Mall (tel: (04) 349 8765), which show English-language films.
Literary Notes: To get right to the heart of Dubai, Graeme Wilson's Father of Dubai: Sheik Rashid Bin Saeed al Maktoum (1999) is a detailed tribute to the founder of Dubai. Arabia Through the Looking Glass (1979), by Jonathan Raban, covers the region as a whole but also has an illuminating section on Dubai.