Dancing spies open art festival
The 12th China Art Festival opens Monday night at Shanghai Grand Theater.
The 12th China Art Festival opened on Monday night at Shanghai Grand Theater with espionage dance drama “The Unfailing Radio Wave.”
The nation’s top arts festival, held every three years in different cities, is in Shanghai for the first time and runs until June 2. The opening dance drama, a reinterpretation of the 1958 movie classic of the same name about a man who sacrificed his life as a secret telegraph operator in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), is one of the three local productions competing for the Wenhua Award, China’s top performing award for professionals.
More than 30 nominees, selected from the best of the past three years around the country, will be shown in theaters around the city in the next two weeks. Nominees for the Qunxing Award, for amateur and community arts, will also be shown at various venues in the city. Both awards will be announced at the festival's closing ceremony.
The festival’s local organizer has focused on bringing the top shows closer to the public by providing online streaming for some shows. Tickets cost up to 380 yuan (US$56), while more than half at mid-to-low prices. Some free performances will also be held around the city.
The festival also includes a four-day exhibition of cultural creative products that opened on Sunday, and an exhibition featuring more than 1,200 top calligraphy, photography and painting works that runs through August.
Dance drama “The Unfailing Radio Wave” kicks off the art festival.
