Art beat in November

Trifecta of dance

Bolero, Medea and flamenco, all remind you of breathtaking dance, don't they? Now the National Ballet of Spain will perform all three together in one night. Ravel's haunting melody and rhythm of Bolero inspired many choreographers including Nijinsky and Maurice Bejart. Now Jose Granero presents his 1987 production. He also interprets the myth of Medea into Spanish ballet. Farruca, choreographed by Juan Quintero, is a perfect example of flamenco combined with ballet, especially the exquisite footwork.

7:30 pm, Nov 1 and 2. National Center for the Performing Arts, West of Tian'anmen Square, Beijing.

French children's choir visits

After touring 15 cities in China last year, the French children's choir, Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc, will perform a show in Beijing under the baton of Nicolas Porte. The chorus became internationally known after its members' involvement in the 2004 film Les Choristes, or The Chorus, which earned two Oscar nominations including one for best original song. The nominated song, Look to Your Path, is sung in the film by lead actor Jean-Baptiste Maunier, who was a soloist in the choir.

7:30 pm, Nov 2-3. Poly Theater, Poly Plaza, 14 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6500-1188.

Glass sculpture donated

Slovakian artist Pavol Hloska has donated his latest creation, glass sculpture The Tower to the Shanghai Museum of Glass. Hloska, 58, is internationally famous for his optical glass artworks, which fully present the unique quality of glass by luminous cuttings like diamonds. The 100 centimeter-high sculpture has joined the permanent exhibition in the museum. A special exhibition is being held at Levant Art Gallery, presenting more glass artworks from Slovakia, brought to China by Gallery Nova from Slovakia.

9:30 am-5 pm, Tue-Sun, Shanghai Museum of Glass, 685 Changjiang Xi Road, Baoshan district, Shanghai. 021-66181970.

Glass from Slovak exhibition: 10 am-6 pm, Mon-Fri, until Nov 5, Levant Gallery of Art, 4F, Building 20, 28 Yuyao Road, Shanghai. 021-5213-5366.

Yo-Yo Ma to launch national tour

Yo-Yo Ma is kicking off a national tour on Nov 3 in Shanghai, performing the world premiere of a double concerto composed by Zhao Lin to be played on the cello and sheng, a traditional Chinese reed pipe. Ma will be collaborating with top orchestras in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The concert combines an intriguing mix of Western and traditional Chinese orchestral music. Before Ma stages Zhao's latest composition, the orchestra will perform Chinese composer Guo Wenjing's Chinese folk music suite composed for orchestra and his famous concerto for dizi (bamboo flute) and orchestra Chou Kong Shan. The concerto is demanding on the dizi player, with extremely long notes evoking vast mountains and short notes mimicking the sound of babbling creeks. Conductor Yu Long will join the concert tour.

7:30 pm, Nov 3. Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Road, Pudong New Area. 021-6854-1234.

8 pm, Nov 6. Xinghai Concert Hall, 33 Qingbo Road, Ersha Island, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8735-3869.

7:30 pm, Nov 7. Qintai Concert Hall, 7 Zhi-yin Avenue, at the northern bank of Moon Lake, Wuhan, Hubei province. 027-8188-0089.

7:30 pm, Nov 9. Forbidden City Concert Hall, inside Zhongshan Park, west of Tian'anmen Square, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6559-8285.

One Republic embarks on China debut

Colorado pop-rock band One Republic will kick off its first China tour in Beijing and Shanghai. With lead singer Ryan Tedder and band members Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Eddie Fisher and Brent Kutzle, the Grammy-nominated band achieved massive popularity in 2007 with its chart-topping song, Apologize. Popular singles Secrets and Say All I Need have been included in TV series Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries. Celebrating 10 years as a band, One Republic is touring their latest album, Native, which is the band's first top 10 album on the Billboard 200.

7:30 pm, Nov 2. Shanghai Grand Stage, 1111 Caoxi North Road, Shanghai.

7:30 pm, Nov 4. Beijing Workers Gymnasium, Gongti North Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 400-610-3721.

Three painters tell their stories

Three young oil painters tell their stories of working and living in a bustling city with their colorful, imaginative artworks at Kui Yuan Gallery, a beautiful Western-style historic building in Guangzhou. The highlight of the joint-exhibition includes paintings by Liang Manyong, a fresh graduate from Guangzhou Academy of Art. The figure of a cute monster exists in each of his works. The monster is on a fantasy journey, attending the funeral of a rose or popping up on a bus without a destination, each hinting at an escape from the pressure of urban life that many young people have dreamed about.

10 am-10 pm, daily until Nov 5. Kui Yuan Gallery, Xuguyuan Road, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8765-9746.

A good day for Bad Day

Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Powter is coming to Guangzhou with his rhythmic pop tunes and refreshing voice. His biggest hit is Bad Day, which swept the world in 2005 and was crowned No 1 Billboard hit of that year. Powter plays the piano and talks about urban life in his lyrics. At his concert in Guangzhou on Nov 7, Powter will perform tracks from his latest album Turn on the Lights in addition to hits such as Bad Day and Free Loop.

8 pm, Nov 7. Symphony Hall, Xinghai Concert Hall, 33 Qingbo Lu, Ersha Island, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. 020-8735-3869.