RIYADH: Saudi contemporary artist Manal AlDowayan’s latest work, Thikra: Night of Remembering, made its debut at the AlUla Arts Festival in late January. The site-specific dance piece, created in collaboration with acclaimed British dancer and choreographer Akram Khan, celebrated the long history of civilizations that have inhabited the AlUla region.
The performance, which will be adapted for theaters globally, brought together local artisans and residents of AlUla to weave a rich tapestry of cultural symbols, rhythms, and stories. AlDowayan described the piece as a fictional narrative that transcends time, drawing inspiration from AlUla’s landscape and traditional dance and craft forms, especially traditional Indian dance reimagined through Khan’s choreography.
Inspired by her childhood memories of storytelling around a campfire, AlDowayan’s performance took place on a circular stage between cliffs, with the audience seated around Sadu weaving carpets, symbolizing the connection between the past and present. The costumes and props, designed with local symbols, paid homage to the overlapping civilizations that have shaped the region’s identity.
The work also featured a strong collaborative element, as AlDowayan worked with the Madrasat Addeera School of Arts and Crafts to incorporate local artisans’ designs into the performance. These included flags made using traditional techniques like palm weaving, Sadu, embroidery, and clay, all of which were paraded as part of the performance.
AlDowayan expressed her admiration for Khan’s work and praised their creative collaboration, noting the deep connection between their visions. Thikra highlights the importance of remembering ancestral knowledge and cultural heritage, serving as a reminder that without understanding our past, there can be no future. The narrative centers on the role of women in preserving and passing down this knowledge, and the performance reflects AlDowayan’s own journey of rediscovering the region’s deep historical roots.
