UAE's 1st Professional Comedy Improv Troupe- Feb 29 Show!

Stand Up Showdown- UAE's first regular comedy contest

'Stand Up Showdown' is the UAE's first regular comedy contest! 10 comedians, 4 judges, 2 cowboy time-keepers, 1 referee, some cheerleaders and a whole lotta mayhem! Come join us for a night of great laughs! Oh, and yes, it's FREE admission! When: Friday, Feb 17 Time: 8:00pm Where: Wild Peeta at Trade center (right in front of the Metro station) More info and reservations: LOL@vivadubai.com How much: Free admission

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

FREE Comedy Show: Monday, Oct 25 at Long's Bar in Rotana Towers Hotel! One Night Only!

WHEN: Monday, October 25 · 8:30pm - 11:30pm

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WHERE: Longs Bar, Towers Rotana Hotel - Shaikh Zayed Road

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WHAT:

More Info Hello Dubomedians!!!

Dubomedy is back with a ONE NIGHT ONLY Exclusive Show that you DO NOT want to miss! Oh, and admission is FREE! Yes, FREE LOL!

Hosted by:
Jamil Abu-Wardeh - Producer of the Axis of Evil Tour Middle East

Opening Acts:
Lamya Tawfik - Funny Girls
Rohit Jayakaran - City 1016 FM

Headliners:
Ali Al Sayed- UAE Local Comedian Extraordinaire
Mina Liccione- Stomp, MTV, Funny Girls
With our very special international guest….
DAN NAINAN FROM THE RUSSEL PETERS TOUR!!!


Call us on 050 44 00 99 4 or LOL@vivadubai.com for more information!

"Clowns Who Care" by Sabina Giado

"CLOWNS WHO CARE" By Sabina Giado
ILLUME Magazine
August 8, 2010


The Clowns Who Care, Mina Liccione and Ali Al Sayed, recently brought their unique brand of humor to the Special Families Support, a support group in Dubai for children with special needs and their family, and Senses, a residential care facility for children with special needs.

Italian American Mina Liccione is the director of Dubomedy Arts, a collective of performance artists based in Dubai. Her business partner in Dubomedy Arts is Ali Al Sayed, an Emirati and the chief executive officer of parent events company Viva Arts.

The two dress up as clowns Charlene Chaplin and Rusty Keaton and perform a comedy and tap dance routine to get their audience laughing and comfortable with their presence. Then comes the fun part – there is music, singing and/or dancing to get the juices flowing and keep the laughter ringing. Their act ends with a group circle where each member of the audience places themselves in the spotlight for a moment and shares something personal.

The experience proves moving for both the performers and the spectators. “We are moved to tears every time by the amount of love and appreciation the families, staff and children always have towards us,” say Liccione and Al Sayed.

Liccione, a native of Rochester in New York, comes from a professional and educational background in dance, clowning and theater arts. She came to Dubai as part of the Arts Festival during the Dubai Summer Surprises. Noticing that her Solo Comedy, Song & Tap Dance Show was not working as well as she’d hoped, she decided to rework the routine, localizing jokes, changing songs and adding more interaction. The performance hit the bulls-eye with her audience, and Liccione was now loath to leave. She decided to extend her stay and taught a series of comedy workshops for children and adults.

Liccione and her business partner Al Sayed met through a mutual friend and soon found that they shared the same passion for creating a sustainable community of performance artists in the United Arab Emirates. The two founded Dubomedy Arts on April 1, 2008.

Liccione’s parents were at first filled with trepidation at her decision to stay in the Middle East.
“My parents are a product of American media... Many of our neighbors have sons in Iraq and here I was moving to the Middle East armed with clown noses and tap shoes.”

But Liccione soon convinced her parents that being in Dubai gave her work a meaning she had not found elsewhere. “Sometimes artists need to go where the art isn’t and use their talents and passions to help build a community rather than simply taking from it".

Liccione and Al Sayed’s plans for expanding the Clowns Who Care project extend within the city and beyond. They aim to train more clowns, build a database of committed volunteers and organizations, and ultimately, become regulars at care facilities and hospitals. The benefits of regular visits will be exponential, say the pair, “Visiting once will bring joy to them but becoming a regular part of their lives will benefit them much, much more.”

Their dream of bringing their show to Palestine is about to become a reality in September with the help of on-the-ground relief organizations. “We have connected with the Ziara Group, The Palestinian Circus School, Maysoon’s Kids as well as other relief organizations to see how we could best help.” Their work in Palestine is due to include special training for teachers as well, i.e. “a specifically designed training program for teachers and educators to further develop their own skills.”