New dance show features animals in Chinese zodiac

The drama itself is part of the ongoing National Art Troupes Festival organized by the Ministry of Culture.

The festival lasts for two months till mid-October and boasts 10 national art troupes. It also includes the National Ballet of China and China National Symphony Orchestra, altogether showcasing 42 performances at competitive ticket prices.

The event is also regarded as a significant celebration of original Chinese performing arts on the occasion of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Besides Dance & Music Chinese Stories－Twelve Chinese Zodiacs, the China Oriental Performing Arts Group will stage a concert, titled Our Love Story, featuring more than 40 classic love songs from across the world.

From Sept 22 to 30, the China National Peking Opera Company will present a traditional Peking Opera piece, Xumu Zhuan, or the Story of Xu's Mother, and a contemporary Peking Opera work, Heng Kong Chu Shi, or Roaring Across the Horizon, which follows the story of China's first successful major atomic test in the 1960s.

Commemorating the 190th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's death, the China National Symphony Orchestra will perform pieces by the German composer, including Choral Fantasy for piano, vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, Op 80. The concert will feature conductor Tang Muhai and pianist Chen Sa.

"Besides Western classical pieces, the orchestra also focuses on original Chinese symphonic works," says renowned conductor and composer Guan Xia, who is the head of the China National Symphony Orchestra.

Since the orchestra established the Chinese Symphony Research and Development Center in 2014, young composers have traveled around the country collecting folk music material.

In a concert on Oct 8, the China National Symphony Orchestra will perform original pieces inspired by the Hani ethnic folk music of Yunnan province and Nanyin, a musical style from Fujian province listed as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2009.

Other highlights of the festival include Dunhuang, a ballet piece by the National Ballet of China inspired by Gansu province's Mogao Caves or Thousand Buddha Grottoes, which contain some of the richest repositories of Buddhist art.