Top ballet dancers to compete

The Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition presented by the National Center for the Performing Arts is set to be a treat for ballet fans. From July 5 to 13, nearly 90 talented dancers and choreographers from across the world will demonstrate their best works to win the hearts of the jury and audiences. The opening ceremony on July 5 will feature winners of the 2011 competition, and famous Chinese ballerinas Tan Yuanyuan and Xu Fangyi. The closing and awards ceremonies on July 12 and 13 will feature former American Ballet Theatre's Angel Corella, Stuttgart Ballet's Friedemann Vogel, New York City Ballet's Ana Sophia Scheller, Dutch National Ballet's Matthew Golding and Anna Tsygankova and Berlin Ballet's Dmitry Semionov among other stars.

7:30 pm, July 5-13. National Center for the Performing Arts, West of Tian'anmen Square, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Religious devotion to his art

The Meilidao International Art Institution is presenting Territory and Heart, the solo exhibition of Xie Yuanhuang. Having pursued art for more than half a century, the 73-year-old claims art is his religion. The exhibited works are oil paintings and sketches Xie created in recent years, which are mainly part of three series - Pamir, Hainan Island and US. Xie uses brightly colored blocks to express regional characteristics.

10 am-6 pm, until July 22. Meilidao Art International Art Institution, 32 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-5826-3255.

Shanghai

Academic's art on show

Li Chao from the art school of Shanghai University is known as an academic and author of The History of Oil Painting in Shanghai. But Li's new ink paintings reveal a lesser-known aspect of him as an artist. The exhibited pieces are selected from more than 100 paintings he created in recent years. "His art is supported by his extremely high aesthetic understanding," Huang Azhong, a fellow artist and critic from Shanghai, says.

9 am-5 pm, July 3-7. Zhu Qizhan Art Museum, 580 Ouyang Road Shanghai. 021-5671-0742.

Classic play in Mandarin

The Godot Theater Company from Taiwan will present Other People's Money, a play by Jerry Sterner, in Chinese. The play tells the story of a developer named Larry, who has become wealthy from buying up companies and selling off their assets. Larry has now identified a new target - a struggling company run by Jorgy, a kindhearted man who is the primary employer in town. In order to fight the hostile takeover, Jorgy hires his stepdaughter Kate, a tough lawyer, but Larry and Kate fall in love during their confrontation. The Chinese production will feature well-known TV celebrities from Taiwan.

7:30 pm, July 12-14. People Grand Theater Shanghai, 663 Jiujiang Road, Shanghai. 021-6217-2426.

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