Art festival to take place at Sinan Mansions this May holidays

Nine teams consisting of 32 artists from around the world will hold more than 100 live art performances at Shanghai's Sinan Mansions to celebrate the third edition of the Sinan Urban Space Art Festival this May holidays.

Launched in 2017 and celebrated yearly, this year's May 1 to 4 festival will span 16 public spaces in which artists will perform stilt acts, drama, music, dance, puppetry and new circus. The festival is supported by the Publicity Department of Huangpu District Committee CPC Shanghai and the Shanghai International Culture Association.

"The festival this year pays more attention to public interaction. For example, CORdas by Spanish flamenco dance troupe DANSACIO will invite the audience to join them in traditional flamenco dance and view their unique insights into life in an immersive experience," says Sun Rongbo, the manager of Wulun Cultural Communication Co., Ltd, a co-sponsor of the art festival.

According to Sun, Les Chimères du Vent, a performance inspired by French science fiction writer Alain Damasio, and Gueule d'Ours, a showcase involving giant luminous bears, will also attend the art festival.

Another highlight of this year's art festival will be the drama La Corde et On, which incorporates mime, dance, music and acrobatics in a public space, said Sun.

Sinan Mansions will be providing a performance guide and store discount brochures during the festival period. Admission to all events during the festival will be free, said Li Haiyu, the manager of Sinan Mansions, the sponsor of the art festival.

"The main purpose for making this even free is to create a cultural brand in an open space, serve the needs of mass culture and enhance the artistic attributes of commercial space and the quality of urban development. This would in turn help to create the cultural brand of Shanghai," says Li.