The staging for Beyoncé’s performance at the Atlantis the Royal hotel last night was located on the top of Palm Jumeriah, the well-known 17-fronded palm tree-shaped island in Dubai. Letitia Wright from Black Panther, Kendall Jenner, her husband Jay-Z, her mother Tina Knowles-Lawson, her father Matthew Knowles, and Rumi and Sir, her five-year-old twins, were among the celebrities in the invite-only group.
Fireworks lit up the bay as the celebrity made her entrance singing “At Last” by Etta James, which she famously sang at President Obama’s inauguration in 2015. She then transitioned from a victorious rendition of “Halo,” possibly her most stirring power ballad, to an impeccable performance of “Ave Maria.”
The first look—a lemon-yellow floor-length gown encrusted with tiny shiny acrylic shards from the waist down—was the work of Omani designer Rayan Al Sulaimani. Her Dubai-based, mother-daughter owned eveningwear label, Atelier Zuhra, is known for its intricate craftwork, including a signature mosaic appliqué which combines laser cutting and handwork. The dress came finished with a dramatic Marabou feather-studded train that flared out around the superstar’s shoulders much like wings. “We started on that dress back in November,” says Al Sulaimani, who worked with Beyoncé and her stylist KJ Moody on the sunrise-inspired design. “It took us almost a month and half to finish.”
She invited her daughter Blue Ivy to perform with her for the first time with a duet of “Brown Skin Girl.” Dressed in a playful glittering red sequin jumpsuit designed by her grandmother Knowles-Lawson and Timothy White, Ivy showed no signs of stage fright, her adorable waist-length braids swinging as she danced in chunky platform sneakers. “Give it up for my baby, my brown skin girl, Miss Blue Ivy Carter,” Beyoncé said, introducing her 11 year old to the audience. The sweetly choreographed mother-daughter moment was easily the most touching of the night.
