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Music, dance, theatre, and performance art headline the cultural calendars in all of Night+Day’s cool cities. We combed through dozens of annual performing arts festivals worldwide, and here are the best of the best.
Best Performing Arts Festivals in....
Best Performing Arts Festivals
Shanghai
China Shanghai International Arts Festival October to November, various venues artsbird.com
The Draw: Symphony orchestras, Shakespearean classics, dance spectaculars, and quivering arias. This month-long, state-sponsored event is a rare chance to see a huge concentration of overseas talent on the Shanghai stage. The Scene: The SCIAF is the only world-class arts event that has achieved any kind of rhythm in this sometimes-fickle town. Shows are generally of the big headline variety and take place in Shanghai’s gargantuan modern theatres. There are a handful of fringe events, though China being China, they won’t be of the edgy, radical variety. Cash, rather than artistic credibility, is the likely draw for performers, and in some ways the festival is a vehicle for Shanghai’s municipal leaders to flex their “international” credentials. However, there’s no knocking the resulting schedule. The event dovetails with the Shanghai Biennial—one of China’s best canvas-art showcases—on even-numbered years. Hot Tip: As with many mainland websites, the English-language festival site is poor compared to the Chinese-language original. For listings, you’re better off checking the websites of local English-language listings magazines (urbanatomy.com, shmag.cn, cityweekend.com.cn).
ERA: Intersection of Time Year-round, Metro: Shanghai Circus World (Line 1)
Tickets RMB 280–580 era-shanghai.com
The Draw: An elegant, nail-biting, and quite extraordinary showcase of Chinese acrobatic and dance culture. This long-running stage spectacular is one of Shanghai’s few must-see tourist spectacles and is performed nightly at 7:30pm. The Scene: The beauty of ERA is that, unlike some of the other stage “spectaculars,” the show doesn’t feel touristy or gimmicky—despite playing to a crowd of mostly domestic tourists. Everything about it is fresh, from the innovative Cirque du Soleil choreography to the hi-tech auditorium in which it is staged. Even the more predictable Chinese circus tricks—contortion, magic, hoop-jumping, and balancing feats—are given a beautiful, modern arrangement. The icing on the cake is a pair of the quite staggering, death-defying acts that end either half of the show. Hot Tip: It’s possible to get a sense of the wow-factor elements from any seat in the circular auditorium. However, to appreciate the highly crafted blend of music, sets, and performance, choose a seat that faces the stage head-on (priced at 580, 380, or 280 RMB).
The Draw: Authentic Beijing opera in the comfy surrounds of a recently renovated Western-style colonial-era theatre. It’s bang in the middle of town and walkable from a number of major hotels. The Scene: The Yifu Theatre is the unofficial Shanghai home of this Qing-era art form, so beloved by the Chinese and so confusing to everyone else. Let’s be clear: Chinese opera is unlikely to send uninitiated overseas visitors into raptures of appreciation, but there’s no denying it’s a quintessential spectacle that should be experienced once while you’re there. The best troupes from across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan generally perform here, and shows are staged almost nightly, ranging from full-length renditions of old classics to slightly more user-friendly medleys. Hot Tip: The Yifu is hugely popular with domestic tourists who, like ye olde Shakespearean audiences, don’t always treat performances with aristocratic decorum. So, you can expect to be assailed by mobile phone rings and inane chatter.
