First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva watched the performance "Zikra: A Night of Memories"

On November 1, the performance "Zikra: A Night of Remembrance" was presented on the stage of the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre as part of the Baku International Festival of Arts (BIAF-2026).

As reported by BAKU.WS, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva and her family members watched the performance.

The production "Zikra: A Night of Remembrance," created by commission of Wadi AlFann — an international cultural space dedicated to contemporary art and located in the city of AlUla (Saudi Arabia) — is the latest creative work of the multiple prestigious award-winning director and choreographer Akram Khan.

In this project, Akram Khan, in collaboration with visual design artist Manal AlDowayan, combined the distinctive movement language of contemporary dance and classical Indian dance.

According to the plot of the performance, women gather together for one night to awaken the souls of those who lived before them. Through a sacred ritual and an appeal to shared memory, they transcend the boundaries of time, connecting the past with the present, and perform an act of spiritual renewal.

The original music for the performance was composed by American singer and composer of Indian origin Aditya Prakash.

The visual design of the production was created by Wadi AlFann artist Manal AlDowayan. She is known for her large-scale multimedia installation presented at the Saudi Arabia Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale.

In the "Zikra" project, the artist combined examples of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary forms. Natural dyes convey the color palette of the desert, while geometric ornaments inspired by the heritage of AlUla emphasize the role and symbolic significance of each image.

It should be noted that the stage work was created under the impression of the ancient myths of AlUla and the majestic natural landscapes of this region. The world premiere of the performance, specifically staged for Wadi AlFann, took place in January 2025.

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