Bringing latent talents to the fore

posted on 02/07/2012: 680 views

Shaima Al Sayed is gifted in making people laugh. "I'm the first female to do stand-up comedy in the UAE and specifically the first one in a sheila and abaya,” Al Sayed said.

She was one of several Emiratis either performing or showcasing their work at ‘UAE Are You Game', an interactive game and talent show held on Friday at Meydan IMAX Theatre. Although her gift is rare, Al Sayed said she's sure there are other Emiratis in the UAE with their own talents to share.

"What happens is, there are talented people. It's not like the country does not have talent, but the thing is, we are a very young country and we're still building up. "I keep telling everybody, we went from tents to Burj Khalifa in 40 years,” Al Sayed said, adding that many talented Emiratis have gone unnoticed in the entire process. That's where Saleh Al Braik comes in.He's the founder of ThinkUp GCC, a PR agency that gives Emirati and GCC nationals a chance to showcase their skills through events like, UAE Are You Game

"We have comedians, musicians, artists, videographers, any skill that has commercial value that we believe can launch into a career, we help it grow,” Al Braik said.

One of the individuals who has seen his talent grow with help from ThinkUP GCC is Rashid bin Hussain, an 18-year-old Emirati who plays the oud, or Arabian guitar. He performed a rendition of the Super Mario video game soundtrack during UAE Are You Game. He's also the first Emirati selected to play in the Youth Orchestra of the Middle East. For those locals out there looking to develop their talents, bin Hussain has some advice.

"There are a lot of Emiratis who have talent but they don't have a place to showcase it. I would like them to join ThinkUp GCC because it helps expose these talents,” he said. To get in touch with ThinkUP GCC, email: talent@thinkup.ae. – Khaleej Times

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