Doha, December 03 (QNA) - Qatar Creates initiative announced Saturday the launch of "Festival in Motion" event from Dec. 5 to 20, offering a major international dance and music program with more than 55 site-specific performances at some of Qatar's most significant architectural landmarks, coinciding with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Festival in Motion is co-curated by two internationally acclaimed artists: French choreographer and filmmaker Benjamin Millepied, Artistic Director and Co-founder of the influential L.A. Dance Project, choreographer of the film Black Swan, and former Director of the Paris Opera Ballet, and renowned American composer Nico Muhly whose music has been performed at the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, and others.

Commenting on the occasion, HE Chairperson of Qatar Museums Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani said: "We have made it our strategy to take our art to the neighborhoods and cities of Qatar. From the airport to every part of the country, the landscape is open for people to experience arts and culture, complementing our landmark museums and collections." "For the World Cup we have invited Benjamin Millepied and Nico Muhly to curate modern dance performances representing dancers from all around the world. The Festival in Motion, the first of its kind, will combine the discipline of dance with architecture, art and music. We hope that these performances will inspire people to think of the unlimited possibilities of creativity," HE Sheikha Al Mayassa added.

The 13-day program showcases more than a dozen exceptional artists from around the world. Audiences can view the performances free of cost in exceptional locations across Qatar, including museums (the National Museum of Qatar and the Museum of Islamic Art), public art installations (Richard Serra's monumental desert installation East West/West East at the Brouq Nature Reserve in Zekreet and Tony Smith's Smoke at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, Olafur Eliassons Shadows travelling on the sea of the day in Al Zubarah) and heritage sites (Historic Barzan Towers).
Benjamin Millepied will appear in his own work for a special one-night-only performance with the L.A. Dance Project on the late afternoon of 20 December with live music by Nico Muhly at the site of Richard Serras East West/West East.

The program will also feature a lineup of choreographers and performers, some appearing in the Middle East for the first time.

Festival in Motion is one of 300 exciting activities, from cultural events to fashion shows and performances, delivered by Qatar Creates during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in November and December. (QNA)