Awakening Lion

Dates: April 13-14

Venue: Nine Trees Future Art Center

Address: No 99 Shuhuan Road, Fengxian district

[Photo/WeChat account: shanghaitourism]

Awakening Lion is hailed by audiences as "the most thrilling dance drama of the year", "full of excitement" and "bursting with testosterone". The dance drama departs from the lyrical nature of traditional performances and instead features a fast-paced and compact narrative rhythm, brimming with masculine energy. With a grand, delicate and fashionable style, it maintains the weight of history while embodying a surging passion.

The performance is considered a grand collection of Lingnan culture featuring the southern lion dance, southern martial arts, Choy Li Fut-style kung fu, Lingnan folk tunes, Cantonese lion drums, storytelling lyrics of "wooden fish" songs and more, allowing the audience to experience the rich Lingnan culture.

 

Only Blue and Green

Dates: April 17-21

Venue: Shanghai Culture Square

Address: No 597 Middle Fuxing Road, Huangpu district

[Photo/WeChat account: shanghaitourism]

Created by the China Oriental Performing Arts Group, the dance drama Only Blue and Green is inspired by the well-known painting A Panorama of Mountains and Rivers by Wang Ximeng of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Jointly directed by Zhou Liya and Han Zhen, the highly-praised performance at the Shanghai Cultural Square presents the audience with an opportunity to enjoy the charm of the landscape painting in a creative form.

The dance adopts the format of a poetry drama, allowing the audience to wander through the legendary aesthetics of traditional Chinese art from the perspective of a modern researcher at the Forbidden City.

 

Eternal Waves

Dates: April 19-21

Venue: Shanghai International Dance Center

Address: No 1650 Hongqiao Road, Changning district

[Photo/WeChat account: shanghaitourism]

Since its debut in 2018, the dance drama Eternal Waves has been beloved and highly praised by audiences. Its touring performances have been ongoing, with over 600 shows exhibited over the past five years. It intricately presents the urban features of old Shanghai, such as Shikumen, lanes, newspapers and Qipao tailors, using a highly condensed dance narrative, beautiful imagery and suspenseful spy elements to recreate a hero's story.

 

Rite of Spring

Dates: April 24-25

Venue: Yunjian Theatre

Address: No 69 Lane 6, South Renmin Road, Songjiang district

[Photo/WeChat account: shanghaitourism]

A century ago, the Rite of Spring, by the American-Russian composer Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky, made its debut at the Paris Theater in France, causing a big sensation. "Peacock Princess" Yang Liping, a well-known Chinese dancer, invites top international artists such as Ye Jintian and He Xuntian to infuse the Rite of Spring with the Chinese spirit.

With various colors of vermilion, jet black, cobalt blue, ochre and more to create strong aesthetic contrasts, the stage is covered with Tibetan mantras. With tassels hanging from Tibetan masks, gemstones embedded in halos and fluorescent finger stalls worn by the dancers, Yang Liping, using her unique dance language and integrating 5,000 years of Chinese culture, interprets this Western classic.

 

A Dream of Red Mansions

Dates: May 8-12

Venue: Shanghai Grand Theatre

Address: No 300 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu district

[Photo/WeChat account: shanghaitourism]

Created by the Jiangsu Center for Performance Arts, the folk dance drama A Dream of Red Mansions focuses on the love story of Jia Baoyu with Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai. While respecting the original work, it invites young and innovative artists with rich imaginations to inject unique modern aesthetics and significance into the production.

Visually, it draws on the aesthetic qualities of paintings in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), aiming to present elegant and graceful dance tableaus. It extensively employs classic symbols with Chinese characteristics, paying homage to traditional Chinese culture while reinterpreting classic Chinese literature from the perspective of the younger generation.

 

Wing Chun

Dates: May 31-June 2

Venue: Yunjian Theatre

Address: No 69 Lane 6, South Renmin Road, Songjiang district

[Photo/WeChat account: shanghaitourism]

Written by Chairman of the Chinese Dancers Association Feng Shuangbai, the dance drama Wing Chun is a brand-new masterpiece co-directed by the "twin stars" of the dance world – Han Zhen and Zhou Liya.

Inspired by the film Wing Chun, the production uses dance to depict the soul of martial arts, narrating the story of a dreamer in a film using light to shape the image of a hero who wants to illuminate others.

 

Romeo and Juliet

Dates: June 12-16

Venue: Shanghai Culture Square

Address: No 597 Middle Fuxing Road, Huangpu district

[Photo/WeChat account: shanghaitourism]

In 2014, Matthew Bourne's male version of the ballet Swan Lake debuted at the Shanghai Cultural Square, with 13 consecutive performances that once swept the city, breaking the record for ballet performances.

Years later, Matthew Bourne returns to the Shanghai Cultural Square for the fifth time, bringing another globally renowned ballet Romeo and Juliet, continuing his edgy narrative style and intricate choreography, vividly portraying the love story between the two doomed lovers, offering a new interpretation of this classic.

 

Sources: Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Culture Square, Shanghai International Dance Center, Yunjian Theatre, Nine Trees Future Art Center