Sisters Grimm Founders Announce Revolutionary Performing Arts Training Programme ‘The Art Of Practice’

Pietra and Ella Theatre Production Shows UAE and Sisters Grimm was founded by Pietra De Mello-Pittman MBE and Ella Spira MBE who have dedicated their lives to cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary, global collaborations spotlighting and celebrating different cultures through the arts.

Their mission to tell stories which impact individuals into cultural and social change with a focus on mental and physical wellbeing and ecological awareness has seen their work and those cultures be celebrated by millions all over the world.

With foundations set in classical fine arts training and a combined creative industries experience of 35 years, they have collaborated with the world’s best artists and created ground-breaking artistic successes. Earlier this year, Pietra and Ella were awarded MBEs for ‘Services to International Trade and to the Creative Industries’ in the New Year Honours list recognising their achievements in promoting global commerce and ideas exchange.

Centred around Pietra and Ella’s individual elite classical arts training and stellar professional artistic career calibre and their original cultural productions, the ‘The Art of Practise’ programme for under 18s will be embedded into the UAE school’s curriculum.

This holistic training programme feeds in to and aligns with the launch of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s new strategic programme to double the number of creative companies specializing in content, design and culture. Through the programme, the team’s aim and drive is to highlight the importance of ‘practice’ as a highly valuable transferable skill for every career choice. This element of practice is rooted in classical arts training, but the long-term output is professional mainstream performance discipline.

‘The Art of Practice’ programme will be funded by proceeds from the sales of a Fine Art collection of 50 UAE landscape paintings for the UAE’s 50th Anniversary and NFT drop.The artwork depicts the story of the land, where not only has it been transformed by industry but where inspiration from the natural surroundings has brought us together to embrace a future of collaboration and community. The UAE is a home to all, and it opens its arms wide to embrace and welcome the world.

The training programme creates a clear pathway into Sisters Grimm productions that tour internationally including to London’s West End, China, Singapore and Japan.

The newest addition to their World Show portfolio is an Arab world show, that will have a UAE residency, a world tour and a film musical, giving a voice to the culture globally and building bridges between nations. The lasting impact being to create a meaningful ecosystem, offering opportunities and contributing to the overall growth and legacy of the creative industry in the region.

This year Sisters Grimm launched their first covid-conscious mass participation digital social impact initiative called ‘UAE Art in Nature’ offering children and young people up to 18 years old the opportunity to be a part of their work, channel their own creativity whilst engaging with and enjoying the many benefits of nature for well-being with their family an opportunity to learn outside their usual environment and enjoy, and to inspire artistic creative expression and family connection. The solely self-funded initiative saw Sisters Grimm receive over 1,000 artistic submissions from over 100 schools across the UAE creating a tangible art output in the international arena. These artworks have become the 3d environment a ballerina dances through to the music video and soundtrack of “Windows of the Mind” which features the vocals of Madyan Hamza singing in Arabic and DB Gad singing in English and has had over 3.5 million YouTube views already.