STAGE

All-year acrobatics: The Chaoyang Theatre is one of the few Beijing theatres to present acrobatics all year round.

Top acrobats invited from all over the country perform for Chinese and foreign tourists. The programme features trick cycling, leaping through hoops and Chinese magic tricks. Some of the artists have won prizes in international competitions.

Time: 7:15 pm, daily

Place: 36 Dongsanhuan Bei Lu, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6507-2421, 6507-1818

Joyful jugglers: The China Acrobatic Troupe is staging a nightly variety show at the Tiandi Theatre, where the seemingly impossible becomes reality. Performers spin plates and juggle umbrellas.

Contortionists show incredible feats of flexibility and acrobats fill the air. Integrating superlative juggling, unicycling, balancing and jumping through hoops with finest ancient Chinese dancing, the star-studded cast will amaze.

Time: 7:15 pm, daily

Place: 10 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6502-3984

Hugo's ballet: The Company of the Stanislavksy and Nemirovich Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre will present "Esmeralda" at the Great Hall of the People on January 25.

Based on Victor Hugo's story of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," the ballet features choreography by Vladimir Burmeister.

Time: 7:30 pm, January 25

Place: Great Hall of the People

Tel: 6590-3737

Suffocation: The drama "Suffocation" is being staged in Beijing.

In the drama, six college students attend a quiz show in the hopes of winning the game's cash prize.

They play well and are poised to win but then make two mistakes. After the game, two of the students die mysteriously.

After a few years, the remaining four students attend the quiz show again, but in vain. And another two students die.

The drama highlights the dark side of human nature amid vanity and wealth.

Time: 7:15 pm, until December 28

Place: Bei Theatre, Beibingmasi Lane, 67 Jiaodaokou Nandajie, Dongcheng District

Tel: 6404-8021, 6406-0175

Bejart Ballet: The legendary Maurice Bejart will bring his famous company Bejart Ballet Lausanne to Beijing as part of his 2005 World Tour. Audiences in Beijing might still remember the Bejart Ballet in 2001, and this time the company will present an extravagant programme with four enthralling dances from different periods of Bejart's career - "Seven Greeks Dance," "Adagietto," "Fire Bird," and "Bolero."

Maurice Bejart has enjoyed celebrity status in the dance world for half a century, creating ballets distinguished by their irresistible sensuality. Working with dance and fashion stars such as Sylvie Guillem, Marie-Claude Pietragalla and Gianni Versace, he has brought the artistry and glamour of ballet to enthusiastic new audiences around the world.

Time: 7:30 pm, February 25, 26

Place: Poly Theatre, Dongsi Shitiao

Tel: 6506-5345

CONCERTS

Piano concert: David Deveau, an American pianist who has enjoyed a smooth music career since he made his debut in 1982 New York's Lincoln Centre. He has appeared with many famous orchestras worldwide.

Programme: "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven, "Nocturne" by Chopin, "Carnival" by Schumann.

Time: 7:30 pm, January 3

Place: Forbidden City Concert Hall, in Zhongshan Park, to the northwest of Tian'anmen Square

Tel: 6559-8285

Folk songs: Original folk singers, who are actually villagers and shepherds rather than performing artists, will display the beauty of real folk songs from over 20 ethnic groups in China.

There are over a dozen types of folk song genres, which include those from Tibet, Inner Mongolia, or songs by Zhuang, Yao and Yi ethnic groups. This is an effort to call for the awareness from the public to help preserve the Chinese folk songs, which come from the daily activities of peoples.

Time: 7:30 pm, December 29-January 8

Place: Bei Theatre, Beibingmasi Lane, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District

Pipe organ: American pipe organ player Ronald Ebrecht will perform in China, accompanied by the China Youth Symphony Orchestra, under the conducting of Zhu Yibing.

Programme: "Fantasia and Fugue" by Bach, several European Christmas selections, "Pipe Organ Concerto" by Poulenc, and others.

Time: 7:30 pm, December 31

Place: Forbidden City Concert Hall, in Zhongshan Park, to the northwest of Tian'anmen Square

Tel: 6559-8285

EXHIBITIONS

Mao and Marx: Clay sculptor Wang Wenhai presents his latest creations at 798 art zone as a commemoration to celebrate the 111th birth anniversary of late chairman Mao Zedong.

Entitled "Mao Zedong and Marx," the exhibition displays the latest sculptures of Mao Zedong and Karl Marx in Wang's bold and unique style, which has won him the title of "master clay sculptor."

As a child, Wang showed a great interest in folk art like clay sculpture, grotto sculpture, Chinese New Year paintings and opera figure painting. The inspiration and enlightenment he received from teachers and students at Xi'an Institute of Fine Arts helped him to focus on the creation and research of clay sculpture. Wang has spent many years making his clay sculptures of various prominent historical figures, among which late chairman Mao Zedong has been the centre of his creations.

Time: 9 am-6 pm until December 31

Place: 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu

Tel: 6438-7107

Empty feeling: A collection of He Sen's oil paintings is on display at Art Now Gallery.

His works mostly depict fashionable young people sitting in empty rooms, which are dimly lit to reflect the empty feeling of the new generation.

Time: 11 am-7 pm until January 23

Place: opposite gate 12 at Workers' Stadium

Tel: 6551-1632

New wave: The Art Seasons Gallery is hosting a modern art exhibition that highlights the bold artworks of artists who are blazing their own trails.

Time: 10:30 am-6:30 pm until February 5

Place: 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu

Tel: 6431-1900

Group show: A group exhibition will take place at the Red Gate Gallery in January. The exhibition will feature paintings, prints and sculptures made by artists Zhou Jirong, Tan Ping, Wang Yuping, Shen Ling, Su Xinping, Lu Peng and Yang Mian who have touched on different aspects of life with their works representing the feelings of people in modern society.

Time: 10 am-5 pm, January 1-February 28

Place: Dongbianmen Watchtower Chongwenmen

Tel: 6512-2561

Western soul: Artist Jiang Zhixin's personal painting exhibition is underway at the Treasure Art Museum.

Born in Gansu Province in Northwest China, Jiang has distinguished himself as a rugged painter specialized in depicting landscapes and abstract paintings characterized with western traces such as straight lines, open scenes and wilderness. The exhibits are latest works Jiang has created in succession to the dedicated pursuit of portraits of his western home.

Time: 10 am-5 pm until January 5

Place: Wangfu Apartment Club, Beiqijiazhen, Changping District

Tel: 8178-4081

Winter oils: The Qin Gallery is presenting a modern oil painting exhibition throughout the month.

The works of a dozen artists, who reveal their feelings about life and society, are on display.

Time: 9:30 am-7 pm until December 31

Place: 1-1E Huaweili, north of Beijing Curio City

Tel: 8779-0461

Folk collection: A nostalgic trading exhibition featuring time-related folk articles is on at Beijing's Panjiayuan Folk Culture Market.

On display are various interesting items including badges of Mao Zedong, books of Mao's quotations, old pictures, stamps, coins, coupons, matchbox pictures, cigarette labels, paper-cuttings, pokers, bookmarks, movie posters, series cartoon books and other folk collections supplied by enthusiasts from more than 10 provinces and autonomous regions, which have become popular items among collectors to recall old times.

Time: 9 am-6 pm until January 5

Place: 18 Huaweili

Tel: 6775-2405

Dream factory: Artist Zhang Xiaotao's personal art exhibition will begin at Beijing Tokyo Art Projects. The exhibition will present bold works made by the artist between 1998 and 2004 as a record of the changing reality that contains different meanings to different people.

Time: 10:30 am-5 pm, until February 5

Place: 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu

Tel: 8457-3245

Looking back: The Creation Gallery is presenting a comprehensive art exhibition at the turn of the year.

The retrospective exhibition is expected to bring a review of the art development over the past year by highlighting the works of eight young and middle-aged artists who have been recognized for their potential and influence in China's art circles.

Time: 10 am-7 pm until January 9

Place: north end of Ritan Lu

Tel: 8561-7570

Watch the world: A total of six avant-garde artists jointly present an art exhibition at the New Millennium Gallery to reveal their angles looking at the world.

On show are latest works created by artists who employ unique painting elements to visualize their original imagination, which represents the non-traditional spirit and nature that modern art possesses.

Time: 9 am-6 pm, until December 30

Place: Diyang Building, 2 Dongsanhuan Beilu

Tel: 8453-6193

(China Daily 12/25/2004 page8)