STARTING in April, the ICIF Arts Festival will offer the city and its visitors a cultural banquet, filling Shenzhen theaters with dozens of performances.

The new addition to the second China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industry Fair (ICIF) will further expand China's biggest fair in the cultural industry.

From late April to mid-June, the festival will feature a rich collection of Chinese operas, ethnic dances, traditional music, theatrical performances and acrobatics.

The invitation has gone out to artists and troupes from other countries for concerts, dances, ballets and musicals.

Initial programming

'Dynamic Yunnan'

An original ethnic dance musical by noted Chinese dancer Yang Liping, "Dynamic Yunnan" illustrates the richness of Yunnan's multi-ethnic culture, blending the essence of traditional songs with folk dance.

Most of the 100 performers in the two-hour dance drama are local farmers from outlying villages of Yunnan. The majority are from ethnic groups including Yi, Miao, Tibet, Dai, Bai and Hani.

Not only the music and dance but the costumes and props are the actual articles used in Yunnan.

This will be the show's third appearance in Shenzhen, following highly successful performances in 2004 and 2005.

'Cats'

The longest-running musical in Broadway history, "Cats" comes to Shenzhen in May.

Adapted from T. S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," "Cats" takes an insubstantial story and uses powerful music, choreography and visual effects to create a show that has attracted audiences worldwide.

Acrobatic 'Swan Lake'

A century after Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" premiered in Russia, a group of Chinese boldly combined the ballet classic with Chinese acrobatics.

Following its highly acclaimed premiere in March 2005, the acrobatic version of "Swan Lake" has toured Chinese cities and will be coming to Shenzhen in early June.

The production overturns many conventions, starting with the story itself. In this version, Princess Odette becomes a Chinese girl turned into a white swan by an evil eagle. A European prince sees the distressed maiden in a dream and sets sail to rescue her. His quest is ultimately successful, and the happy couple marries in the Forbidden City.

The acrobatics sweep the classical "Swan Lake" off its feet. When the prince encounters the White Swan, she is walking on a tightrope and he is floating across a misty lake on a giant lily pad. In the famous pas de deux, the White Swan dances on point atop the prince's head and shoulders.

"Wind from the South' - a Shao music concert

Shao music, one of China's most ancient forms of music, is believed to have originated in Shaoshan, Hunan Province more than 4,000 years ago, during the reign of Shun, the legendary monarch of ancient China.

More than just music, the Shao art form is a musical epic combining poetry, music and dance.

It was performed in the court, eulogizing the emperors. During the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the music sank into oblivion.

Recently, classical musicians traced the vanished music form to local folk songs in Shaoshan.

The "Wind from the South" concert is the result of their research.

The performance uses more than 30 types of traditional Chinese musical instruments, including the zheng, a 21- or 25-string plucked instrument similar to a zither, and the xiao, a vertical bamboo flute.

'Riverside Scene at the Pure Brightness Festival'

One of the most renowned paintings in Chinese art, "Riverside Scene at the Pure Brightness Festival" vividly depicts the life and society at the festival, which is usually celebrated on or around April 5 each year, in Kaifeng, Henan Province, during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

The masterpiece transposed to concert form will be performed by the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with classical musicians.

Following the style of the painting, the music is based on the folk songs and operas of North and Central China.

Following the scroll's division into several separate scenes, the music varies in rhythm and musical styles, with a great variety of Chinese musical instruments.

Editor: Wing