Calling on local performers!

Calling on all local performers!

The 2^nd Annual Dubomedy International Performing Arts Festival (DIPAF) will be held from November 30- December 3, 2011. In their efforts to continue providing a platform for the local arts community, they are currently accepting entries from performing artists of all disciplines for slots in this year’s festival. The festival program will include a local theater night, poetry reading, music day, Arabic theater presentation, comedy night, free workshops, a dance competition and international headlining acts. Local artists will not only get the chance to be seen but to also take the stage with some big names. Dubomedy is very keen on representing the many different cultures of Dubai and invites artists from all backgrounds to participate in their Arabic, English and Hindi programs. The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2011.

The Dubomedy International Performing Arts Festival's goal is to unite and celebrate the diversity of the arts with the many cultural communities of the region all while having a great time. This Festival is unique in that it will feature an array of different genres of performing artists from talented local bands, dancers, theatre, poets, hip hop artists, actors, to international comedians and musicians, to everything in between. The performances will range from student showings to international professionals. This event will infuse nonstop performances with a series of free workshops in both English and Arabic over a 4 day period.

DIPAF’s producer, Ali Al Sayed of Dubai, said “We are hoping to include more Arabic Theater in this year’s Festival. Many people have yet to experience that side of us and we are happy to be able to provide a platform for more Arabic artists to shine.”

Last year over 100 performers took the stage and the local arts community waits, in great anticipation, for the upcoming line up to be announced. When asked if they could reveal any names, DIPAF’s Artistic Director Mina Liccione said “Nope, we aren’t spilling the beans just yet! Submissions are still coming in and we won’t make our final decision on local artists until the deadline hits. However, I can say that a really huge headliner has confirmed to perform as part of our Comedy Night and that we have added some really exciting additions to the program! We are really taking things to the next level this year.”

For more information please contact them on 04 374 6789 or LOL@vivadubai.com.

www.dipaf.com

DIPAF- Opening Night

Dubai International Performing Arts Festival off to a great start
11th November 2010
Sabina Giado

The Dubai International Performing Arts Festival (DIPAF) kicked off to a hilarious and toe-tapping start to a packed Kilachand Theatre last night at DUCTAC.

Students from Festival art director and founder and head teacher of Dubomedy Arts School Mina Liccione’s Tap Dance and Body Percussion classes took to the stage to tap a tribute to Leah Mapanao, a DUCTAC representative, who passed away suddenly before the Festival opening. Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy” played as the group honored Leah for her extraordinary support to the initiative.

Students from Mina’s Comedy 101 class performed monologues for the first time. While most were experiencing nail-biting tension in the dressing rooms before the show, they all braved the bright lights to great applause and laughter.

The tappers brought back an old favorite Shim Sham Shimmy, while Siobhan’s very young Irish dancers wowed the audience with the dexterity of their footwork. The dancers continued to amaze as Sara and her dance partner displayed the versatility of the Dubomedy community with the crowd-pleasing Latin-American dance number, Mambo Merengue.

The Advanced Improvisation class brought energy and perfect comedic timing to a series of popular long-form improvisations including the hilarious He Said, She Said (about a husband and wife recalling the same incident), Build a Picture, Movie Magic and Schizophrenic Debaters. The improv games closed with the hilarious Tag Out Scenes as the Improvisers went all out to make the audience laugh.

“The show rocked, the comedians were awesome and the tap dancers out of this world. My favourite part of the show had to be the kids doing the tap dancing and Irish dancing- totally blew me away. I didn't expect that level of talent from them...but they were totally amazing,” says Neil Parker, an audience member.

“I’m so proud of our students. They really brought their A-game to the opening of our first Festival. It’s off to a great start and I know it’s only going to get better and better from here,” said Ali Al Sayed, co-founder of Dubomedy Arts School and Festival director.

Tonight, students from Mina and Ali’s writing class, From the Page to the Stage, will be presenting the results of their intensive 8-week course, followed by a night of local theatre, featuring the works of the Dubai Drama Group and the Youth Theatre Works among many other artists.

Student Spotlight: Angela Boshoff Hundal

Angela Boshoff Hundal is a Dubai-based writer who used to laugh at her own jokes. (Alone. In the kitchen.) But now – thanks to Dubomedy Arts’ Comedy 101 classes – she can make other people laugh too! She tells us how….

The Tom and Jerry experience

My first intense and conscious appreciation of something making me laugh out loud was when I was four-years old. I was sitting on the dirty cream carpet of my mother's bedroom wearing a worn out Superman outfit, eating Rice Krispies from a giant ceramic bowl balanced precariously on my knees and watching Tom and Jerry. And then I laughed out loud and thought, "Tom and Jerry is funny! I want to make people laugh like that!"

Of course this animated realisation didn't result in me transforming into a line illustration that runs really fast and escapes death by a cat’s hair. What it did do, however, was inspire me to bring all the garden furniture into the house, set it up around the lounge table and charge my family – who is dangerously hilarious – two Rand each (the Rand is South Africa’s currency and is equal to about one Dirham) to come and watch "my show". (Think me in a Minnie Mouse dress, bows clipped in hair and cheesy 80s Kylie Minogue beats as background music.)

After that, real life set in. You know; being kicked out of kindergarten (don't ask), learning to read, first crushes, school books, making friends, high school, making more friends, all-girl squabbles on the school field and all other manner of good things.

Twenty three years later and with no lounge tables that might support my weight in sight, I decided to find a real stage and subject people other than my family to my performances.

Find the funny!

Enter Dubomedy Arts’ Comedy 101 classes and my first foray onto a real stage. The classes run for 9 weeks and this is how they work: You laugh. You learn amazing brain-boosting improvisation games (like the games they play on Whose Line Is It Anyway?). You laugh some more. You learn super effective writing and listing techniques. You laugh some more. You write and rehearse for a stand up piece. You laugh some more. You do a final show. You laugh a lot. And then you want to do it all again!

Mina Liccione (professional comedian and stomp veteran) and Ali Al Sayed (professional comedian and producer) run and teach the classes and are really amazing at bringing the funny out of you and into the open. And before you say something silly like, “Oh, I’m not that funny. I think I’d better sign up for palaeontology lessons”, listen up! Mina believes it’s not about learning how to be funny; it’s learning how to see the funny in life and then share that with your audience. Or your gran. Or your weird neighbour. The next thing you know you’ll be rocking on stage with Mr. Rock! True story! The classes are good. You should sign up now!

What’s my flavour?

So, I’ve finished the Comedy 101 classes (which I plan to do again) and done my first five minutes of stand up (which the crowd actually laughed at!). Now that I’m famous and everything (ahem), people have started asking me whether I prefer stand up or improv. That’s kind of like asking me to choose between lemon meringue pie and double chocolate cheesecake.

To be honest, the ideal thing would be to have a slice of both but because I’m new to the comedy game I’d like to feed on stand up for a while. I’m a writer by profession, so I really enjoyed compiling and writing the stand up monologue during the Comedy 101 classes. You see, I thought that stand up was just about standing up and winging it in front of an audience. While some of the more famous comedians might be able to pull that off sometimes, stand up is actually really well planned and rehearsed. Of course performing my monologue and getting laughs was the icing on the cake! (Oh by the way, if writing makes you cringe, don’t be put off! Mina will help you whip up some chair-wetting stand up material before you can say alakazam!)

The best thing about stand up is the laughs! Hearing people you don’t know laugh at your jokes is addictive. In fact, hearing people you know laugh at your jokes is addictive too. (Even if the latter is laughing because you paid them to!) The worst thing about stand up is thinking you’re going to forget your monologue or blank on stage although I hear that’s normal, especially for your first show. To be honest, during the last two weeks leading up to the performance, I felt ill (literally) at the thought of having to perform on stage in front of 150 people. But when I got up there it was absolutely fine. It’s sort of like my brain and body took over. I had so much fun on stage, which is really the point of getting up there in the first place.

Join me!

If you’re contemplating taking the Comedy 101 classes but are procrastinating - don’t. The fact that you’re even thinking about it probably means you’ve already got a sense of humour. So just sign up! Whether your humour leans more towards the on-the-fly or the pre-meditated, Mina will help you find a comedy slant that suits you. Fo’ shizzle! And if it’s nerves that are holding you back, just remember that Jim Carrey still pukes before every live performance – and the whole world knows about it! Now that’s always going to be much more embarrassing than anything you’re ever going to do! So, see you on stage!

For a list of Dubomedy Arts’ classes (and they have many!) log onto Facebook and search for ‘Dubomedy Arts’ or go to www.dubomedyarts.wordpress.com. Or call Ali on 050 44 00 99 4.

* No animals were harmed during the writing of this piece.

Fall Class Schedule: Comedy 101, NYC Tap & Body Beats, Improv, Writing & Performance

DUBOMEDY ARTS PROUDLY PRESENTS THEIR FALL, 2010 COURSE CALENDAR!

We offer professional training in Comedy, Improvisation, Stand-Up, Writing & Performance, NYC Tap Dance and Body Beat all year round for kids, teens and adults. From just to fun to professional coaching! Classes are lead by Stomp and Cirque veteran, MTV Alumni, Award-winning American physical comedienne and choreographer; Mina Liccione. Our new "From the Page to the Stage": WRITING & PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP will be co-lead by a group of professional writers, directors and performance based artists including Jamil Abu Warda, Nick Karavatos, Mohammed Rahmo, Sol Abiad along with Mina Liccione..

WHAT: We are kicking off our third school year with a brand new session of Comedy, Improv, Writing & Performance and NYC Tap & Body Beats classes. Each session runs 9 weeks and commences with a final performance in the Kilachund Theater at DUCTAC. Please reserve your place now!

WHEN: We hold classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, between September 15- November 11, 2010. Next batch will start in January, 2011.
*Final performances on November 10-11, 2010 at 7:30pm in the Kilachund Theater at DUCTAC as part of Dubomedy's 1st Performance Festival.

CLASS SCHEDULE:

~SATURDAYS CLASSES: Comedy and Tap & Body Beats- All Levels
September 18- November 11 at Dubai Community Theater in Mall of Emirates. Final performances will be on November 10-11, 2010.

10:00-11:00am- Laugh Out Loud! Comedy for Kids
Kids Comedy Club is full of joke telling, comedic storytelling, traditional clown routines and more. This class is all about boosting confidence, communication skills and finding their own comedic voice! The session ends with a final show for friends and family!

11:30-12:30pm- NYC Tap & Body Beats: Level I for Teens and Adults. This class is perfect for beginners or those who haven’t tapped in a long time and need a refresher.

12:30-1:30pm- NYC Tap & Body Beats: Level II for Adults and Teens. This class will focus on more intermediate level technique and choreography. This class is open to those who have completed Level I or by permission of instructor.

1:30-2:55pm- Comedy 101: Saturday Morning Funnies!
Our signature open level Comedy Class for Adults! This course will teach you the basics of Improvisation, Physical Comedy and Stand Up Comedy writing and performance. Each student will also get a private coaching session as well as a chance to perform in a energy packed end of session show at Dubai Community Theater.

3:30-4:30pm- NYC Tap & Body Beats: Level III. This is an advanced level training course as well as Performance Troupe.
* This class is by audition only

~MONDAY EVENINGS: NEW WRITING & PERFORMANCE CLASS!!!!!
September 20- November 8. Final performance and readings on November 10-11, 2010.

7:15-9:15pm-"From the Page to the Stage": Writing & Performance Workshop
This new course will focus on diverse genres of writing geared towards performance. The workshop will emphasize on the balance between text and performance- how they build upon and interact with eachother. A team of professional writers, directors, poets and performance based artists including: Jamil Abu Warda, Nick Karavatos, Sol Abiad as well as Mina Liccione will co-lead this course. There will be a series of unique writing sessions along with assignments that allow the students to explore a variety of "individual writing voices". Writing genres and seminars will include: Script writing for Theater, Poetry and Spoken Word, Storytelling- from fiction to non-fiction, Creating text, scripts and dialogue from Improvisational Exercises, Character development tools, How to transform personal stories into TV Scripts taught by a longstanding TV Producer. The final few classes will focus on ways to take your words from the page to the stage- hence PERFORMANCE skills including Meisner Acting Technique, How to direct actors, Physicalization of stories and Rhythmic Training. This workshop will commence will a final showing and/or reading of the works created during this creative process. The "best" works of the bunch will be chosen to develop into full length performance pieces as well as considered for a new series of short film projects set for 2011.

~WEDNESDAY EVENINGS: IMPROV & THEATER SPORTS!
September 15- November 10 at KADOMZ STUDIOS IN MARINA MALL. Final performances November 10-11, 2010 at 7:30pm in DUCTAC.

7:30-9:00pm- WEDNESDAY NIGHT IMPROV! - Intermediate- Advanced level training
All improvisation, all the time! We will warm up with Comedic Improv Games then focus on competitive theater games and improvisational structures for team performance “matches”. The goal of this class is to create a performance based Improv Troupe that will perform around the UAE at different events and venues. Each session includes a Public Improv Performance as well as a final match performed in the end of session show.

MORE INFO/REG: LOL@vivadubai.com

REGISTRATION: All Classes will be posted on Time Out Tickets very soon. We will also hold a series of open registrations in September. To secure your place please send an e-mail to LOL@vivadubai.com with your name, contact info and which class/es you will be attending.

All about us: Dubomedy Arts His (and HER) story!

April 1st isn't just April Fool's Day..... it's Dubomedy Arts Birthday!
Dubomedy Arts recently celebrated 2 years of funny art making, performing arts education and local variety arts community building in Dubai! Here's to making Dubai a funnier place!

How did Dubomedy Arts begin?

It all began when our director and founder, Mina Liccione, was hired to perform a solo physical comedy and tap dance program in Dubai as part of the Summer Arts Festival. After her 2 week run she was invited to extend her stay in order to teach a series of Comedy, Rhythm and Body Percussion Workshops to Dubai children as well as offer professional training to a leading local drum company. Mina was greatly inspired by the mix of cultures and the lessons she learned about life, traditions and culture in the Middle East. Everyone she met here had expressed their hunger for more art and laughter to emerge out of the desert. The local arts community was very minimal, the comedy scene bleek, the majority of the local performers relied soley on corporate gigs and many performers were flown in from other countries. When Mina was offered the chance to pioneer a Comedy and Tap Dance School in Dubai at the local Community Arts Center she jumped at the chance. She returned to San Francisco to complete her directorial contracts, completed a full winter tour of her solo comedic program "The Audrey Heartburn Show" as well as finished up her M.F.A. Thesis then headed to Dubai for her next chapter. Soon after she arrived the New York Film Academy also opened it's doors where Mina quickly became a professor for the Professional Acting Program. "Sometimes artists need to go where the art isn't" says Mina. "At a certain point in your career you need to let go of the ego and start giving back to the community. Dubai needs to laugh more and embrace the diversity they have here. Art heals, connects and allows people to communicate. Community begins with communication." She added.

Who is Mina Liccione?

Mina is a true hybrid artist whose two passions are rhythm and comedy. She's a Tap dancer, Physical and Stand Up Comedienne, Sketch Comic, Actor, Writer, Choreographer, Director and Educator. She began perfoming at age three and teaching in her early teens. She's been seen in Stomp, The New Pickle Circus, MTV's The Grind, Cabaret, Make*A*Circus, Yas Hakoshima's Mime and Movement Theater, Circo Romani, Sweet Charity, "The Beat!", Big Dog Improv, Velocity Circus's "Heliosphere" and "1906", Everyday Theater Berkeley, AIDS: The made for TV Musical, Cirque- Special Events, the motion pictures "Pucked" and "Cradle Will Rock", in her highly acclaimed multi-disciplinary solo show "Della Pancha", back up dancing for Dee-lite as well as numerous International Cabarets, Festivals, Comedy Clubs and TV spots.

Mina received a B.F.A. in Dance with a minor in Theater Arts from Marymount Manhattan College, an M.F.A. in Experimental Performance Studies from the New College of California and is a graduate of the San Francisco School of Circus Arts' Clown Conservatory where she later acted as their Dance teacher and choreographer. Mina also had the great honor to co-teach workshops for Cirque Du Soliel with the legendery Jeff Raz, co-directed the San Francisco Youth Circus' award winning multi-media production of "Impressions" as well as choreographed the Bay Area's long standing annual tradition, The Bracebridge Holiday Show.

Mina can currently be seen hosting and performing in Monday Night Funnies, Dubai World Cup Events, Easter on The Palm as well as the upcoming "Comedy from around the World" Show in Bahrain where she will be one of the head-lining Stand Up Comedians (and the only female comic on the bill). Her Dubomedy Sole Steppers Troupe are currently preparing for the their new Hip Hop Tap and Body Percussion Piece which will debut at this year's Dubai Dance Festival.

What has happened since she moved to Dubai in late February, 2008?

Since transplanting to Dubai Mina has founded the Laugh Out Loud! Comedy School (which focuses on all aspects of comedy: Improvisation, Sketch and Physical Comedy, Stand Up Comedy, Comedic writing, Character development and coaching) Dance Out Loud! NYC Tap and Body Beats Program and Dubomedy Arts which she co-directs with her partner Ali Al Sayed. The dynamic duo also pioneered Monday Night Funnies together. Ali Al Sayed is also the C.E.O. of VIVA Arts which is the Mother Company of both Dubomedy Arts and the LOL! School. Their partnership gave a whole new meaning to the term "where East meets West." Their passion for comedy, art making, desire to create performance opportunities for local artists bound them together instantly. Their vision was the same and their commitment to building a strong and sustainable arts community persistent.

Who is Ali Al Sayed?

Ali Al Sayed is a product of the corporate world, where he lived in the more serious part of life working as an event organizer. In 2004, ‘Viva Dubai’ emerged, as the countries first English online entertainment magazine. The vision then expanded and was shaped to build a community in Dubai. Now this local all-rounder in the entertainment industry; comedian, master of ceremonies, artist manager, journalist, producer, assistant comedy teacher. Al Sayed believes in creating the opportunities instead of waiting around for them. He is the founder of the local entertainment company Viva Arts as well as the partner in Dubomedy which is an educational outlet building a community in the entertainment arena of Dubai. He can currently be seen producing, hosting and performing in Monday Night Funnies around the U.A.E. Al Sayed’s television debut in “Zahrat Al Khaleej” on Abu Dhabi T.V. featured his Arabic material which put a number of projects in the pipeline. More television appearances and shows have been scheduled for 2010.

How is the Comedy School unique from other programs?

Besides the fact that they are the only Comedy school in the region, they also stand out for other reasons. One unique thing about Dubomedy Arts and the Laugh Out Loud! Comedy program is that all the material performed is original. The Comedy 101 students write their own monologues after a series of comedic writing, improvisation and story telling exercises over a 9 week period. The 9 week program commences with a final performance. After taking the beginning level class students move up to the intermediate levels of improvisation and sketch comedy, the advanced level then company level where they continue to perform ensemble based skecthes, short comedy plays and/or perform their Stand Up acts as part of Monday Night Funnies as well as numerous Events around the region. Their program is quite unique in that there is a progression, increased levels of training and performance opportunities. Oh, and did I mention that the Comedy School also has a Kid's Comedy Club as well as host four different after school comedy programs around Dubai? The student body ranges from 6 year olds to 56 year olds, from amateurs to professionals. Lastly, Dubomedy Arts, like it's director Mina, prides itself on being interdisciplinary. They do not pigeon hole Comedy to Stand Up but also include Long-form Improv, Improv Games, Writing: sketches, stand up, scripts, short plays, Theater Sports, Sketch Comedy, Musical comedy, Character development and acting.

What's happening now?

Two years later the LOL! School has grown from 13 students to an entire community, 4 on-going after school programs, corporate training, guest teaching workshops around the GCC, Monday Night Funnies: an entire 3 month series of new Stand Up, Variety and Sketch Comedy Shows featuring all local artists, two original Commedia Dell'Arte inspired plays- written, directed and performed by Dubomedy members, Improv and Skecth Troupe- Dubomedy Players, Tap Dance Troupe- Dubomedy Sole Steppers, yearly performances in DSS, DSF and Dubai Dance Festival, provided entertainment for many major events on a regular basis in and around the G.C.C., 7 volumes of "Mixed Tape: Comedy and Tap Dance Special" student performances, partnered with NYFA Abu Dhabi to help with student film casting, produced a Stand Up Show featuring comic Ronnie Khalil and so, so, so much more. The Dubomedy Community has grown tremendously and continues to do so.

They are currently getting ready to announce a slew of huge upcoming Comedy Events, their final Comedy and Tap Dance session of the school year, a new initiative for performing arts teachers in the U.A.E., Artist Exchange Program (where professional artists and educators from around the globe will come to Dubai for 1-3 months of performance, teaching and training) as well as a new blog that will talk about the performing arts scene in Dubai. The blog will focus on answering the many questions of aspiring performers, recommend classes and the best teachers to train with, talk about local productions, audition preparation, casting calls as well as general community news.

When do your Comedy, Improv, NYC Tap Dance and Body Beats Classes happen?

Our classes run all year round! For more information and a detailed class schedule please e-mail LOL@vivadubai.com.