Water! from Guinea's Circus Baobab at NYUAD The Arts Center

Gulf Today

04-05-2025

The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) is presenting the Middle East debut of Yé !
Water! by Guinea's Circus Baobab, a high-energy fusion of contemporary West African circus, hip hop, and environmental storytelling (May 9, 10). The family-friendly show will be staged in The Red Theater at The Arts Center at NYUAD. Set against the backdrop of Guinea's vibrant traditions and modern realities, Yé !
Water! is a vital and visually stunning experience — perhaps the perfect summer entertainment option for families, students and art lovers across Abu Dhabi.
Using African circus in a dynamic and poetic expression of environmental issues, Yé !
Water! is a call to build a better world for tomorrow together — one in which humans take more heedful care of nature and its future. Aligning with the UAE's ongoing commitment to building a sustainable future and a cast of flying acrobats, contortionists, breakdancers and musicians, Yé !
Water! delivers a compelling and urgent message about the global water crisis. The production transforms circus into a vibrant, thought-provoking art form that celebrates culture, resilience, and the power of human connection.
A performer in flight.
Executive Artistic Director at The Arts Center at NYUAD Bill Bragin said that 'since the beginning of The Arts Center a decade ago, sustainability and the environment have been recurring themes in our programming. We've also made a strong commitment to contemporary circus as a form which is hugely entertaining for the whole family, while also being able to engage in conversations about important issues. Circus Baobab's Yé brings both of these interests together, in a dynamic circus performance of West African acrobatics and hip-hop dance, inspired by the prevalence of single-use plastic water bottles in our lives.'
Through pyramids, aerial choreography and kinetic storytelling, the artists of Circus Baobab take audiences on a journey through the environmental challenges facing the planet. As they leap, lift and defy gravity, the performers symbolically reflect humanity's struggle and durability in the face of ecological collapse. Their movements become a visual metaphor for both fragility and strength, urging viewers of all ages to take action for a sustainable future.
The May 9 performance will feature a post-show Q&A moderated by Chinasa Ezugha, Assistant Arts Professor of Live Art/Art as Social Practice in the Theater programme at NYUAD, offering a deeper insight into the themes and creative process behind the production. As part of the Off the Stage presented by Mubadala series, The Arts Center will also host a special Acrobatics Workshop led by Circus Baobab on May 6, open to participants aged 12 and older. The workshop introduces techniques such as balancing, human pyramids, and creative games designed to build trust and community through movement. The participants could have varying styles and levels, but it's an ideal opportunity for circus enthusiasts, dancers and curious learners, to connect with the company's special physical language.
Founded in 1998, Circus Baobab is a collective of performers from Guinea and the diaspora, blending traditional African circus techniques with contemporary performance styles. Under the artistic leadership of Kerfalla Camara, the company creates works that celebrate heritage while addressing pressing global issues, with a strong commitment to community engagement and social responsibility. After evolving through various creative phases, including the Térya Circus project, Circus Baobab was revitalised in 2021, continuing its mission to innovate, uplift, and connect through performance.
A self-taught circus innovator and founder of Cirque Inextremiste, Yann Ecauvre is known for pushing the boundaries of balance and performance. His projects range from jazz-circus collaborations to aerial shows in hot-air balloons. A master of theatrical risk and visual storytelling, Ecauvre brings a spirit of bold experimentation and humanist values to Yé !, where his creative vision translates urgency and unity into acrobatic expression. In doing so, he creates a world in which individuals are in tight interdependence, and where solidarity and listening to others enable the survival of the group.
Presenting music, theatre, dance, film and interdisciplinary performances, The Arts Center at NYUAD is a performing arts centre that presents distinguished professional artists from around the world alongside student, faculty, and community productions. The Center draws on the resources of NYUAD to create a space for research, investigation, and the active pursuit of knowledge and wisdom for audiences as well as visiting artists. NYUAD is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. Times Higher Education ranks NYU among the top 30 universities in the world, making it the highest-ranked university in the UAE and MENA region.
NYUAD integrates a selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world centre for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity's shared challenges. NYUAD's high-achieving students come from over 120 countries and speak over 100 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of the global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.