First Emirati Ballerina dazzles crowds at Abu Dhabi Classics

CAIRO – 28 April 2018: The first Emirati Ballerina, Alia Al Neyadi, dazzled crowds while performing at Emirates Palace on Friday, April 20.

Neyadi danced during the final show of Abu Dhabi Classics Music festival, which was held at the Emirates Palace. She performed at the Le Corsaire Ballet, led by Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theatre's Bolshoi soloists Ivan Vasiliev and Maria Vinogradova. The three-act theatrical play was adapted from a story by famed poet Lord Byron, about a pirate-chief named Conrad and his fantastic romance with a Greek maiden named Medora. Neyadi herself helped to organize the performance, being the cultural curator at Abu Dhabi's Department of Tourism and Culture.

Born in 1993, Neyadi came from a family that was always immersed in Ballet, as her mother was a Ukrainian Ballet teacher and Ballerina herself. Neyadi has performed since she was seven years old, with her role-model being Olena Filipyev, star Ballerina of the National Theater of Opera and Ballet of Ukraine.

She has pushed herself to be the best that she can be, missing out on chocolate, sleepovers and parties as she practiced Ballet for 20 hours a week. It has all paid off however, with Neyadi even returning from an announced retirement in 2016 as she realized how much she missed performing.

With more than 70 performances to date, Neyadi proudly performs as the first Ballerina to ever represent the UAE, inspiring countless young girls to follow their dreams.