Art beat in July

Natural Flavor: Summertime Party

Date: Jul 26 — 10 pm - 4:00 am.

Venue: Tango Club 1st floor, Yonghegong Lama Temple station (79 Hepingli West Street, Beijing.)

Music: Hip-Hop, R&B, Funk, Soul, Reggae. Guests: DJ Nasty Ray, DJ Slow Dee.

Price: Free Entry

The organizers describe it thus: "Every month, Natural Flavor Party presents Beijing's street culture live on the stage for all y'all true lovers of dope beats and fresh rhymes. It's not a battle for supremacy nor a show of individual ego but a party to educate and share real underground hip hop for all those who have hip hop in their heart. So I hope you can come get some Natural Flavor in a year with the crowd participating with the MC's; DJ's spinning classics from Soul, Funk, R&B and to Rap beats, that real head nodding shit! So join in the live street life vibe!"

Contact: WeChat: NaturalFlavor

Summer Saturday Grill at the Great Wall

Time: July 26 — 11 am - 9 pm

Venue: The Schoolhouse at Mutianyu

Price: 11-15:30 Adults RMB 178, Children 4-12 RMB 98, Under 4s no charge

What they say: "Come hang out at The Schoolhouse in the fresh country air. All you can eat grilled-to-order steaks, trout, chicken, and more with a free flow of soft drinks and beer. Imagine kicking back with a cold one after hiking the Wall. In the evening, there will be live jazz in the courtyard."

Contact: info@theschoolhouseatmutianyu.com/ 6162-6506

The Wine Academy and Awards

Date: July 29 — 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Venue: Parnas Restaurant, Bar and Terrace

Price: RMB 150

Every month Parnas rooftop terrace turns into a Wine Academy: one country, six wine distributors, 12 wine coupons, 50 guests, 72 bottles of wine, 100 glasses of happiness! On July 29, you have two hours, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm, to learn all about Italy by tasting 12 of its best white and red wines, accompanied by Parnas' delicious canapés. At 10 pm, stay tuned as the best red and best white of the night are announced. The awarded wines will feature as best wines of the month at Parnas!

Literature

Kathryn Koromilas: This is Not a Love Story

Date: July 31 — 7:30 pm - 9 pm

Venue: The Bookworm

Price: RMB 50 (RMB 40 for members)

Kathryn Koromilas, author of Palimpsest: A Novel, will soon publish her second work, This Is Not A Love Story, a dialogue-based story which takes a philosophical look at falling in (and falling out) of love. In this unique event, her work will be shown live on stage in four vignettes, performed live at The Bookworm.

Luo Ning Piano Trio

Date: Jul 26 — 10 pm - 1 am

Venue: East Shore Live Jazz Cafe

Luo Ning was born into a musical family in the multi-ethnic Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and is now one of the best jazz pianists in Beijing. He has his own unique understanding and expressions of jazz and classical music, and is famous for his consummate playing, ebullience and enthusiasm. Since 1998, Luo has frequently played jazz, classical, popular and folk music on the domestic and international stage. He has also worked with musicians such as Kenny Garrete and Jens Winther.

A co-production by Teatro Regio di Parma and NCPA Rigoletto

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Dates: July 31 and Aug 3 — 7:30 pm

Price: RMB 100-880

Rigoletto, created in 1851 is a masterpiece by Giusepe Verdi. Rigoletto, La Traviata and Troubadour are three of the great works from Verdi's middle phase. Rigoletto has been performed for more than a century with great success. The libretto is adapted from Victor Hugo's dramatic interpretation. This work demonstrates an extraordinary integrity and harmony.

Contact: 186-0020-8126/:book-holiday@hotmail.com

Sports:

Beijing Mixed Touch Rugby League

Date: July 26 — 11:50 am-1:15 pm

Venue: Chaoyang Park

Price: Adults RMB 20-30, but free for children

Touch is great way to exercise and keep fit! Easy to learn and great fun! Feel free to come down and play touch rugby in a relaxed and fun environment. Players of all ages and skill levels welcome. Midweek games are dependent on numbers so join the WeChat group to find out if there is a midweek game on this week!

Contact: beijingtouchrugby@live.com /WeChat:Beijing Touch Information Group

Free Summer Yoga in Chaoyang Park

Date: July 26 — 9:30 am-10:30 am

Venue: Chaoyang Park

Move your asana every alternate Saturday morning in Chaoyang Park. Meet at 9:30 am at West Gate 3 (RMB 5 entry fee) to join an hourlong session of breathing, gratitude, falling over, intention, giggling, and exercising.

Hike: Hemp Village to Jinshanling Great Wall East

Date: July 30 — 8 am - 6:30 pm

Venue: Jinshanling Great Wall

Price: RMB 450 (RMB 405 for members)

The hike starts from a tiny and isolated valley village to reach the Great Wall, first following a narrow trail beside the wall and then passing through an archway to get to the end of the Jinshanling Great Wall, a partly restored stretch with many intact and closely-spaced towers. The Great Wall at Jinshanling is often seen on postcards and features large towers and impressive stretches of wall that climb steep ridges.

Contacts: info@beijinghikers.com/ (10) 6432-2786/www.beijinghikers.com