Working Lives UAE: Arts impresario

Dorian Paul Rogers moved from the United States to Abu Dhabi in 2011, as one of the millions of ex-pats who come to the UAE for better work opportunities.

A teacher by profession, he says his real passion is organising cultural events.

Three years ago he started Rooftop Rhythms, a poetry and music "open mic" evening that tapped into the growing grassroots cultural scene.

What began as a monthly event evidently hit a chord with expats and Emiratis and is now one of the biggest poetry open mic events in the Middle East.

"Now I'm running several events throughout the month, from Arabic poetry, Soul and Blues nights and I just hosted an international poetry festival," Dorian says, adding that he has decided to give up teaching and go full-time.

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