A rich variety of performances will engulf Beijing in a festival atmosphere during the week-long Labour Day holiday.

Australian pop singer Tina Arena will give a concert at the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium tonight.

Chinese audiences can still remember Arena singing "Sacred Fire," the theme song for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games at the opening ceremony.

"Sacred Fire" fascinated more than 3.5 billion viewers and led Arena to the pinnacle of her career.

Now, she and her amazingly beautiful voice return to Beijing to wish the city good luck in the 2008 Olympic Games.

The concert will also star Australian pop singer Red Rivers and a band called "Unique."

For those who can not make it to South Korea for the opening ceremony of the 2002 World Cup, the "Dood Rock" percussion band will present their thrilling programme at the ceremony in Beijing's Century Theatre on May 3 and 4.

Wooden sticks thump and clack in rhythmic explosion. A mixture of Korean traditional dances and modern dances, as well as a glimpse of tap dancing, all come together at the performance.

Besides playing traditional instruments, non-conventional items such as pipes and bottles also become instruments. On stage, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and other ordinary materials mixed with the beat of drums are transformed into a magical orchestra.

The Tokyo Ballet will dance "Giselle" at the Century Theatre on May 8 and 9.

Founded in 1964, the Tokyo Ballet is one of the most prestigious ballet troupes in Asia. It has a wide repertoire ranging from full-length classical pieces to contemporary choreographers' master works.

The principle ballerina in "Giselle" is Yukari Saito, who will join dancer Naoki Takagishi to star in the leading roles.

The China National Peking Opera Troupe will stage its new production "Sun Wu, Military Master" at the Chang'an Grand Theatre on May 1 and 2.

Wu Jiang, president of the troupe, organized a star-studded, creative crew for the play including director Lin Zhaohua, one of the most renowned contemporary drama directors in the country, well-known actress Li Shengsu, actor Yu Kuizhi and veteran Peking Opera composer Zhang Yanpei.

Sun Wu is a household military strategist of the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Called Sun-tzu out of respect, he is the author of "Master Sun's Art of War."

Though it tells the story of a great military master, Lin does not present many war scenes in the play. Instead, he stresses the inner world of the characters.

The Alexander Army Red Flag Song and Dance Troupe of Russia will give a performance at the Great Hall of the People on May 2.

Founded in 1928, the troupe, with 125 members, is the most prestigious troupe specializing in Russian folk songs and dances and performances with an army flavour. It will be their fifth visit to China.

The National Opera of China will stage Puccini's great piece "Madam Butterfly" at the Poly Theatre on May 4 and 5.

In a rich score, Puccini etches her progression from love to loss and then to despair and hope with a deftness and sensitivity that is touching.

"It is a nice gentle introduction for anyone who isn't sure whether or not they like opera," said Gao Weichun, conductor with the National Opera of China.

The doubtless star of the performance is Cio-Cio-San played by soprano Ma Mei, who sang together with the Three Tenors at the Forbidden City last June. Her voice is capable, full of warmth and sweetness.

In the role of Pinkerton, Wang Feng is a gifted actor who has made the role completely credible, singing with distinction.

Two other characters in the opera, Suzuki and Sharpless, are played by Liu Shan and Xiong Xuewei.

Liu has a sensible, believable and unaffected stage presence, providing much of the play's pleasure, and he sings with an impressive operatic voice.

As part of the 2002 Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, more than 10 foreign and domestic troupes will give performances at Chaoyang Park from May 1 to 7.

The first four days will feature a Greek folk dance troupe, African Lesotho and Kenya dance groups, Philippines and Russian Volga song and dance ensembles and Canadian country singer George Sapounidis.

Chinese songs, dances and a fashion show will be staged in the following three days.

SHANGHAI

The Ballet National de Cuba will stage the classic ballet "Don Quixote" at the Shanghai Grand Theatre from May 1 to 4, following their visit to Beijing, accompanied by a live performance by the Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra.

The Russian Grand Circus Troupe is also rolling into the city today with an enormous team of animal stars including nine tigers, three lions, five bears, six apes, four horses and some 20 different types of dogs.

Apart from the heart-stopping animal shows and circus stunts, the Russian troupe's classical repertoire will also take away the audience's breath.

On May 5, a contingent of Japanese kyogen actors will stage a performance at the Shanghai Centre Theatre to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations.

Kyogen is a traditional Japanese comedy that embraces 600 years of history. It is generally regarded as a treasure of the Japanese culture.

Qin Liwei, a young and gifted cellist who won first prize at the China's Children Cellists Competition, will perform at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on May 5. Max Pommer will direct the Shanghai Broadcast Symphony Orchestra to present Beethoven's Leonore Overture No 3, Symphony No 5 in C Major, and Haydn's Cello Concerto in C Major.

In addition, the Shanghai Grand Theatre Gallery is holding an embroidery exhibition, entitled "East Meets West, Modern Art in Oriental Handcrafted Silk Embroidery," in which the artists use their embroidery skills to create Western style pictures. The show runs through May 9.

GUANGZHOU

For the upcoming week-long holiday, a plethora of fabulous theatres, concerts and exhibitions will offer superb performances that are a good substitute for outbound trips.

For young lovers, the French musical "Endless Love" will likely be their first choice, in which fashion designer Pierre Cardin has turned into a stage producer and costume designer for this musical re-telling of the medieval love story involving Tristan and Yseult.

Cardin has incorporated diverse influences such as Chinese acrobatics and martial arts into this tragic romance between two lovers. After the well-received tour in Beijing and Shanghai, the musical travels to Guangzhou on May 2 to perform at the Friendship Theatre.

Two major performances in the Xinghai Concert Hall during the holiday are up for grabs. The modern dance "Sky of Youth" is performed by the Hong Kong City Modern Dance Company on May 4, and will offer five dynamic programmes accompanied by pop and classical music.

On May 5, following the dance performances, the Xinghai Concert Hall will stage the Jazz Quartet Concert by the quartet Claude Barthelemy from France, consisting of guitar, brass, accordion and drum players.

For museum goers, the Guangdong Museum of Art offers three heavyweight exhibitions on both Western and Chinese arts, all running through May.

A must-see exhibition is the "Great Works, Great Causes - the Artistic Life of Hugo" in memory of the 200th anniversary of Victor Hugo (1802-85).

Though Hugo is famous as a novelist, poet and playwright, he is less known for his 3,500 paintings. Enamored with Chinese culture, he also painted with Chinese ink. Cheng Zenghou, a specialist in the research on Hugo, has categorized the exhibition into sections of Hugo's literature, paintings and love towards Chinese culture.

Parallel to the realistic master Hugo, Salvador Dali (1904-89) is seen as a surreal lunatic and genius. The exhibition, "A Journey into Fantasy" is an interactive show of Dali's works. It ensures a thrilling exhibition experience, with some 400 works including paintings, sculptures, furniture and gold, bronze and glass accessories.

With the use of a special sensor screen and an interactive chamber, the lifelong themes of Dali's work and life fantasies - women and religion - are enhanced by modern visual effects and graphic technologies. If that's not enough, audiences will be able to interact with Dali's works through a slide-show and by studying the masks he created.

(China Daily April 30, 2002)