DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s touring dance production, “Thikra: Night of Remembering,” returns to US stages in October, with performances scheduled across South Carolina, California and New Mexico.
The dates follow the show’s New York debut in July. Performances will take place at the Charleston Gaillard Center on Oct. 1-2, UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 6, UCLA on Oct. 10, the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe on Oct. 14 and the Mondavi Center in California on Oct. 17. The tour continues this week with shows at Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts.
"Thikra: Night of Remembering," commissioned by Wadi AlFann. (Photo by Christopher Duggan/ Lincoln Center)
Commissioned by Wadi Al-Fann and created by choreographer Akram Khan in collaboration with Saudi artist Manal Al-Dowayan, the work draws inspiration from AlUla’s ancient landscape and heritage. It combines contemporary dance with classical Indian styles of kathak and Bharatanatyam, performed by an all-female cast exploring themes of memory, identity and collective healing.
The production premiered during the AlUla Arts Festival in 2025, staged beneath the desert cliffs, before being adapted for theatres around the world. Al-Dowayan designed the costumes and scenography using traditional craft techniques developed with artisans from AlUla’s Madrasat Addeera, while the score was composed by Aditya Prakash and features contributions from local musicians.
More than 250 residents of AlUla also took part in workshops during the production’s development, highlighting the role of community collaboration.
Since its premiere, “Thikra: Night of Remembering” has been seen by more than 45,000 people and continues to bring Saudi Arabia’s contemporary cultural ambitions to audiences around the world.
