What's on

Exchange

When: Dec 20 and 21, 7:30 pm

Where: Jiangsu Center for the Performing Arts, Nanjing

Exchange is a collaboration between Cloud Gate Dance Theater and Tao Dance Theater. The last program Lin Hwai-min curated before his retirement from Cloud Gate broadens the horizons of the company and brings to its audience the unexpected and the enthralling.

In addition to presenting his Autumn River, Lin invited two choreographers at their innovative heights－Tao Ye, the artistic director of Tao Dance Theater, and Cheng Tsung-lung, Lin's successor－to choreograph each other's troupes, culminating with Tao's 12, staged by Cloud Gate dancers and Cheng's Multiplication, performed by Tao's dancers.

Rent

When: Dec 24-29, 7:30 pm

Where: Yunfeng Theater, Shanghai

Jonathan Larson's musical Rent, loosely based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La Boheme, won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

It follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. Poverty, drug abuse and social tension, among other hardships, challenge the group physically and emotionally.

Facing the problems head on, they make self-discoveries and find what really matters most in life.

With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters－love.

Alexandrov Ensemble

When: Dec 20 and 22, 7:30 pm; Dec 21 and 22, 2:30 pm

Where: Guangzhou Opera House

The Alexandrov Ensemble, commonly known as the Red Army Choir, is the official army choir of the Russian armed forces. Founded during the Soviet era, the ensemble consists of a male choir, an orchestra and a dance ensemble. The ensemble has entertained audiences both in Russia and throughout the world, performing a range of music including folk tunes, hymns, operatic arias and popular music.

It first attracted international attention when it won first prize at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1937.

Aurelie Dupont and Her Friends The New Year Special

When: Jan 3 and 4, 7:30 pm

Where: Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center

Aurelie Dupont is a French ballet dancer who performed with the Paris Opera Ballet. She began her career in dance in 1983 when she entered the Paris Opera Ballet School. She joined the company at 16 in 1987, and became a premiere danseuse in 1996.

Dupont was promoted to star dancer in 1998 after her performance as Kitri in Paris Opera Ballet's revival of Nureyev's production of Don Quixote. She has also starred in Paris Opera Ballet's revival of Nureyev's version of The Sleeping Beauty.

Crested Ibises

When: Jan 8, 7:15 pm

Where: Shanghai Grand Theater

Also known as the bird of good fortune, the crested ibis is a symbol of happiness and luck in China.

This dance drama by the Shanghai Dance Theater is a tribute to the honored bird, which was near extinction until scientists found a number of them thriving in Shaanxi province in 1981.

The drama was inspired by the true story of combined efforts by Japan and China to preserve the endangered bird species. Thanks to those efforts, more than 1,800 crested ibises have been confirmed in the wild in the two countries.

Three Phantoms

When: Jan 15-18, 7:30 pm; Jan 18, 2:30 pm

Where: Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center

Three Phantoms is a songs-from-the-shows piece of musical theater, combining hit numbers from a wide variety of West End musicals, as well as some punchier rock tunes.

It includes classic numbers which will be instantly recognizable to many people, such as The Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera and Memory from Cats. Songs are also included from other well-known musicals including Miss Saigon, Chess, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, leading up to a sort of showcase within show of the Phantom numbers toward the end.

The show features director and singer Earl Carpenter, who also came up with the idea for the performance.

Pingtan Impression

When: March 28 and 29, 2:30 pm

Where: Jiangsu Center for the Performing Arts, Nanjing

Pingtan Impression is a dance drama choreographed by Yang Liping.

Yang is famed for appearing in the performance art show Dynamic Yunnan, which has toured worldwide.

Pingtan Impression shines a spotlight on Pingtan, an island city located off the coast of Fujian province.

Weaving together different strands from the city's traditional folk culture, such as snippets of local dialect, legends, puppet and marionette shows, dragon-lion dances, and recreations of the local ritual of paying homage to Matsu, goddesses of the sea, the show depicts the island city's beauty and originality.

It tells of a legendary love story between Junshanwang, Pingtan's ancestor and Pingtanlan, the daughter of sea, revolving around the plots like how they fell in love with each other and fought against invaders.