Collective work group "Souls in Motion" based on Dubai

Souls in Motion collective will develop  work during the 2 weeks stay in our residency.

"Theatre is ritual. We aim to build a poetic ritual comprised of 4 to 8 explorations of music, poetry, movement, language, art and rhythm. These explorations will be inspired by our collective and individual experiences as young adults of the “third culture”—born, raised, and living in countless cities across the world. Influenced by globalization, as well as tradition, we are souls in motion. We aim to highlight the resilience of the human spirit and speak straight to the soul. "

Dana Dajani

Dana Dajani is an award-winning Palestinian actor and writer based in Dubai where she quickly gained recognition for her performances in Arabic and English. On stage, Dana wrote and starred in Kalubela, winner of Time Out Dubai’s award for Best Theatrical Performance of 2012. Her short films have been in film festivals across the Middle East, garnering awards such as Best Actress in Tropfest 2011 and Best Film at the Arab Film Studio Competition 2013. Later that same year, Dana was one of only two international artists invited to Australia to develop and perform a new work at the Sydney Opera House.  

Additionally, Dana is a published author and poet and can often be spotted performing her spoken-word poetry in a musical collaboration called Floetics. A freestyle riff on rhythm and rhyme, Floetics have performed at many premier music venues and festivals in Dubai. Independently, Dana has recently collaborated with Dubai-based cellist and producer, Aaron Kim, to create an EP which fuses electronic sounds and poetry.

Tim Hassall

Tim Hassall is an internationally established performer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Dubai. Drawing on a diverse range of influences, Hassall's eclectic musical taste inspires his unique 'pop/rock with soul' style.
His second full-length album 'Gallatin' reached number 9 on the Virgin UAE Charts (Feb 2014), gaining rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Described as "a real wordsmith" by Grammy award winner Doug Sax, his music has featured in major motion pictures; City Of Life (UAE), international music festivals; Secret Garden Party (UK), Blended (UAE), Unspangled (GER) and has twice earned him a TimeOut Dubai Nightlife award.

Katy Hassal

A recent graduate from Glasgow School of Art and winner of the RSA New Contemporaries Award.Katy Hassall was born in New Zealand, grew up in Dubai and studied in Glasgow. She has moved around the world all her life and continues to be inspired and make connections with the places she has been.

 Her work features performances involving the engagement of the senses manifested through the bodily awareness of space, sound, and the search for self in relation to the world. She is interested in the physical impact of sound and its ability to bring people together. The energy of sound through the body allows which allows us to remember, heal and experience space in a new way. 

Our existence is based upon experiences that force us to repair and grow. Katy Hassall´s work features performances celebrating and communicating this sense of time, craft, and the universality of human experience.

Layla K

Having grown up between Sydney, Australia and Dubai, UAE, Layla was exposed to all genres of music, and started to develop great appreciation for world music at a very young age, with her major influence being jazz and soul.

Her experience spans from musical theatre and television, to collaborative projects, performing with local rappers and singers in Australia, and writing lyrics and melodies for their tracks.

At 18 she began to focus on poetry and a fusion of traditional middle-eastern music and jazz, which saw her work with some great names in the Arab world. Today she continues her music ambitions with writing and performing original acoustic music with an Arabic flavour, as well as performing jazz standards at live music venues in Dubai.