Art beat ... finger on the pulse

Beijing

Not baaad!

An original puppet show, You Are a Sheep, will stage its second round in Beijing. Directed by Sun Zhaohui, the show tells the story of an amusement park that becomes a playground for five cartoon roles: a pig, a dog, a rooster, a sheep and a rabbit. When night falls, they come alive and play in the park. Child psychologists have also contributed to the show, which aims to educate parents on how to communicate with their children.

10:30 am, 3:30 pm, 7:30 pm, March 16; 10:30 am, March 17. Oriental Palace Theater, No 47, Longfusijie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 400-610-3721.

Two sides of same painting

Inspired by the legendary ancient Chinese painting Dwelling in Fuchun Mountains, a landscape painting by the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) painter Huang Gongwang, a folk concert with the same title will begin a national tour on March 6 in Beijing. Composers Liu Yuan and Jiang Ying wrote five chapters of music, reflecting the landscapes and emotions of the painter. After the smaller half of the 666-year-old painting had been restored, it was put on display in Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou, while the larger piece was exhibited at Taipei Palace Museum. The two halves were rejoined in May 2011. Thus, Zhejiang Folk Orchestra and Taipei Chinese Orchestra will perform together in the concert.

7:30 pm, March 6. National Center For the Performing Arts, 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Bach to Beatles

Renowned Mexican flutist Horacio Franco will present his From Bach to the Beatles recital, including Bach's Sonatas No 2, Vivaldi's Sonata in F Major and Beatles' hits such as Penny Lane and Eleanor Rigby. The flutist, who started learning the instrument at 13, will also perform with Mexican harpsichordist Santiago Alvarez at the concert.

7:30 pm, March 10. Forbidden City Concert Hall, west side of Tian'anmen, inside Zhongshan Park. 010-6559-8285.

Shanghai

Shapes and colors

A joint exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Ling and Alois Nimmervoll is ongoing. Alois is an abstract painter who is constantly inspired by nature, while Ling has created sculptures of metal, ceramic and glass based on Chinese characters and symbolism.

9 am-5 pm, March 2-15. Duolun Museum of Modern Art, 27 Duolun Road,Shanghai. 021-5609-5728.

Misfits fit in

The original comedic play Animals tells about the lives and frustrations of marginalized youth. These youth are labeled as "bad kids" and grow up rebelling against mainstream society. Ran Theater Studio will present the play, which features eight actors.

7:30 pm, March 15-31. Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, 288 Anfu Road, Shanghai. 021-6473-0123.

The right moves

Cloud Gate Dance, the company founded by choreographer Lin Hwai-min, will celebrate its 40th anniversary with an Asian tour of a dance adapted from the ancient poem Nine Songs. The choreography was inspired by traditional sacrificial rituals, and the performance has incorporated aboriginal percussion and dance.

7:15 pm, March 14-16. Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai. 021-6854-1234.

Guangzhou

Lin Hwai-min lectures

Those attending the public lecture of Lin Hwai-min, founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theater, this Sunday in Guangzhou will be inspired by the dancer and choreographer's 30-year journey across Taiwan to spread the art of modern dance. Cloud Gate was the first modern dance theater in the Chinese-language world. Cloud Gate will stage its classic Nine Songs in Guangzhou in late March and Lin will share how he developed ancient poems into a beautiful contemporary ritual. Lin was recently the recipient of the 2013 Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement in modern dance and is the first awardee not based in the US or Europe.

3 pm-5 pm, March 3. Lecture Hall No 1, Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province, 213 Wenming Lu, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8383-0676.

A playful combination

The Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, together with Japanese conductor Eiji Que and French pianist David Fray, will present Beethoven's music at a concert on March 8 in Guangzhou. The classics to be played include Symphony No 3 (Eroica) and Piano Concerto No 3 In C Minor. Que is currently the artistic director of Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra. Fray received the second grand prize at the Montreal International Music Competition in 2004. The rising French star has been compared to legendary pianist Glenn Gould for filling his performances with playfulness - bobbing his eyebrows, humming along with the orchestra and even conducting himself, sometimes with one hand.

8 pm, March 8. Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall, 33 Qingbo Lu, Ersha Island, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8735-2222.

Paris shared

Explore Paris through the lens of Queenie Cheen, a young Chinese photographer. Cheen's solo exhibition of the photos she took during her two-year stay in Paris will open in Guangzhou on Saturday. It's interactive in that the exhibition leaves walls for visitors to fill with photos they have taken in Paris to express their feelings about the romantic city. A sharing session for people who provide their photos will be held at the closing ceremony on April 7.

11 am-11 pm, daily from March 2 to April 7. 3rd Floor, Goelia 225, 225 Beijing Lu, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8336-0050.

Love, life and work

Laugh workplace pressure away by watching My Ex-Wife's Wedding, a play full of twists and hilarious lines. The hero acts as a go-between for his best friend and his ex-wife but later rekindles his love for the ex-wife. He Nian, the play's director, has produced many popular works focused on youth. His plays took about 40 percent of the total box office of the Shanghai Drama Art Center from 2006 to 2010.

3 pm-10 pm, daily until March 17. No 13 Theater, Guangzhou Drama Group, 13 Xin'er street, Shaheding area, Tianhe district, Guangzhou. 400-108-8808.

Quick pick

On their toes

American Ballet Theater will present to Chinese audiences three ballets of different styles. The witty and romantic piano etudes of Virgil Thomson echo in Mark Morris' Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, which premiered in 1988. Choreographer Jose Limon's masterwork The Moor's Pavane beautifully distills the passion and dramatic arc of Shakespeare's Othello into one act. Agnes de Mille's humorous love story Rodeo about a tomboyish cowgirl features costume design by Tony Award-winner Santo Loquasto. Principal conductor of American Ballet Theater Charles Barker and conductor and music administrator for American Ballet Theater David LaMarche will conduct China National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra during the show.

7:30 pm, March 6 and 7. Opera House of the National Center For the Performing Arts, No 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district,

Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

- Chen Nan

China Daily

(China Daily 03/01/2013 page20)