New York Arab Festival May Events to Include Music, Art & Performance, Film Screenings, and Dance Parties

New York Arab Festival (NYAF) 2023 Edition has announced programs and partnerships for the second half of the annual spring festival this May. NYAF takes place in venues across NYC from April through May to honor and celebrate Arab American Heritage Month, which coincides with Ramadan and Eid this year. New York Arab Festival (NYAF) is programming multiple live in-person events in partnership with multiple pioneering institutions across NYC, the USA, and internationally.

NYAF's in-person events in NYC for May include Ra'ed Saade's Club Arabia at The Secret Room NY (707 8th Avenue) on Friday, May 12, 10pm-late night; "A Thought is a Memory" Exhibition Closing Program performance marathon at CUE Art Foundation (137 West 25th Street) on Saturday, May 13, 1-3:30pm; and Taktouka Band's "Bassara" Album Debut Concert at Soapbox Gallery (636 Dean Street, Brooklyn) on Wednesday, May 17, 8-9:30pm. In the virtual world, NYAF supports Arab artists with the digital exhibition "Enchanted Territories," curated by Adele Jarrar and produced by Taxir in partnership with the popular metaverse Decentraland May 10th-17th on Decentraland. Toward the end of May, NYAF will launch its film program screening series in partnership with the Museum of Moving Image. NYAF will also present a series of online talks on urbanism, architectural memory and city-making.

New York Arab Festival (NYAF) was established in 2022 to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month and fight the erasure of Arab and Arab American identities from New York City, a place that Arabs have called home for over three centuries. NYAF is a multidisciplinary festival that programs arts and culture from the Arabic-speaking region and the Arab diaspora, showcasing Arab American artists, particularly those working and living in New York City. The festival was founded by Arab, Arab American and American artists, curators and cultural operators, namely, artistic director and curator Adham Hafez, urbanist Adam Kucharski, senior producer Cindy Sibilsky, and cultural manager Marwa Seoudi.

This year, NYAF is programming events in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. It invites an array of pioneering artists, designers, thinkers and industrialists, including Felukah, Brooklyn Maqam, Taktouka Band, Ra'ed Saade, Samar Haddad King, Leyya Mona Tawil, Jadd Tank, Nora Alami, Ahaad Alamoudy, Obaid Al Safi, Manar Abdelmaaboud, Adam Elsayigh, Sarah Aziza, Zafir Tawil, Jenna Hamed, DJ Nadia, Mariam Mekiwi, Kamelya Omayma Youssef, George Abraham, Bazeed, Tsohil Bhatia, Rawya El Chab, Nadia Khayrallah, Noel Maghathe, and Tenaya Nasser-Frederick, and more.

NYAF 2023 is presented by HaRaKa Platform and Wizara. It includes partnerships and support from the Howard Gilman Foundation administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, World Music Institute, NuBlu, La MaMa ETC, Soapbox Gallery, CUE Foundation, Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, McNally Jackson, Onassis Foundation, Arab Film and Media Institute, Museum of Moving Image, Movement Research, Cairography, The Opening Gallery, and others.

NYAF is made possible with funds from the Howard Gilman Foundation, administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and additional support from partnerships and supporters.

Website: www.newyorkarabfestival.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/newyorkarabfestivalofficial

NYAF 2023 Program Highlights in May:

Club Arabia at The Secret Room NY - Friday, May 12, 10pm-late

Get ready to experience the ultimate Middle Eastern party of the year, Club Arabia, at The Secret Room NY (707 8th Avenue)! Join us on May 12 for an unforgettable night of music, dance, and entertainment in partnership with NYAF. The lineup features the #1 Middle Eastern Dee Jay, DJ Wakim, the captivating Sultana Belly Dancer, Afrah Events Tabla drummer, and a special surprise aerialist who will take your breath away. Don't miss this epic event, and bring your friends along for an unforgettable night! For tickets and information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/club-arabia-tickets-617481141717

"A Thought is a Memory" Closing Performance Event - Saturday, May 13, 1-3:30pm at CUE Foundation

Join CUE Art Foundation (137 West 25th Street) and NYAF for an afternoon of programming organized by Kamelya Omayma Youssef to celebrate the closing of الفكرة ذكرى / A thought is a memory (a group exhibition curated by Noel Maghathe featuring art by Zeinab Saab, Kiki Salem, Nailah Taman, and Zeina Zeitoun). The event brings together NYC-based artists and writers from "the so-called Arab world" to share works of poetry, theater, dance, performance art, and the blur between these practices. Participants include George Abraham, Bazeed, Tsohil Bhatia, Rawya El Chab, Nadia Khayrallah, Noel Maghathe, and Tenaya Nasser-Frederick. For more information, visit www.cuefoundation.org

Taktouka Band's "Bassara" Album Debut Concert - Wednesday, May 17, 8-9:30pm at Soapbox Gallery

New York Arab Festival presents Taktouka live in concert for the debut of their album "Bassara" on May 17th from 8-9:30pm at the Soapbox Gallery (636 Dean Street, Brooklyn). Taktouka features Alia Haju on vocals, Bashar Farran on bass, Daro Behroozi on woodwinds, with Rema Hasumi on synth. Together they create a new sound and vision for Arabic music today. "Bassara" showcases their reinterpretation of Arabic folk songs with futuristic sounds drawn from jazz, improvised music, electronic textures, and dance rhythms. Join us for this beautiful, dense and surprising journey of sound to celebrate the launch of Taktouka's new album and experience Arabic music as you've never heard it before! Tickets are available for the live concert and globally-accessible video streaming options. For tickets and information, please visit https://www.soapboxgallery.org/events/nyaf-presents-taktouka

Enchanted Territories, a Virtual exhibition on Decentraland - May 10-17

Curated by Adele Jarrar, and produced by the pioneering Lebanese Web3 collective Taxir, in partnership with the popular metaverse Decentraland, Enchanted Territories showcases a compelling array of contemporary works that showcase the limitless possibilities of digital art created by a group of emerging and established young Arab artists. These artists have harnessed the power of technology to create innovative and transformative digital pieces that explore new frontiers in art and aesthetics. To attend virtually, head to Decentraland by clicking on the exhibition title for more information.

NYAF 2023 Program Previous Highlights from April:

Throughout April (Arab American Heritage Month), NYAF presented, co-presented or supported multiple events across NYC including Felukah in concert with DJ Nadia and DJ meëraj at NuBlu in partnership with the World Music Institute; "Ancient Futures" Contemporary Visual Art Exhibition in partnership with The Opening Gallery and Greece in USA; two GPS Chats with Movement Research; "La MaMa Moves! NYAF Contemporary Arab American Dance Program" in partnership with La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival featuring Leyya Mona Tawil, Jadd Tank and Nora Alami; Cavafy's Legacy panel discussion with Stamatina Gregory, Adam Ashraf Elsayigh, Jason Wee, and Richie Hofmann as part of 'Archive of Desire' Onassis Foundation's C.P. Cavafy festival in partnership with Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, McNally Jackson; Brooklyn Maqam featuring Zafer Tawil and Maqam Jam at Sisters; and YSDT Gathering: New York City, a work-in-progress CUNY Dance Initiative residency by Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre at Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island.

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