Haraka Center officially opens its doors in Kuwait

The Haraka Center for Movement Arts is a new space in Kuwait offering dance training to women in the local community.

The facility is for women of all ages and dance backgrounds to explore and express their passion to move whilst searching for their individuality.

Founder & Artistic Director, Jumana Al Refai, has wanted to open a dance center for over 10 years and she knew that she wanted to install her studio with Harlequin floors to give her students ‘the best of the best’.

“We strive to provide our dancers and movers with the best dance training and that is why we chose to install Harlequin dance floors. It was very easy to install and fantastic to dance on! We absolutely love having it here at Haraka Center for Movement Arts.” – Jumana Al Refai

The Haraka Center studio, which opened in August 2021, has Harlequin Liberty sprung floor panels topped with a Harlequin Cascade vinyl performance surface with BioCote Antimicrobial Protection.

Harlequin Liberty panels feature dual-density shock dampening elastomer pads, ensuring uniform and consistent shock dampening across the floor. Harlequin Cascade is the ultimate heavy-duty vinyl dance floor, with mineral fibre reinforcement for stability and durability. It is widely used as a ballet floor, but is also a popular choice for many other dance styles.

The Haraka Center for Movement Arts aims to make dance an accessible form of art and cultivate a society of movers to redefine the interpretation of dance in the gulf region.

The dance classes will focus on building a solid foundation in the disciplines of ballet, modern, contemporary dance and other dance styles. It is a space for everyone to express themselves through haraka (movement).

 “Dance isn’t just about being a dancer, it’s about the endless possibilities of who you can be.” – Jumana Al Refai

Jumana Al Refai is a choreographer, teacher, and professionally trained dancer based in Kuwait. From the young age of four, Al Refai started her dance career in Kuwait, under the artistic direction of Andi Hicks, former dancer of the Royal Ballet. Al Refai has over 20 years of dance training in ballet, modern, contemporary, and improvisation.

Her main focus is on raising dance awareness in Kuwait and the MENA region.