Listings

SHOW

Frankenstein by TNT Theater Britain

Date: Nov 17-20 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Beijing Chaoyang 9 Theatre-Che

Price: 60-380 yuan

Frankenstein is one of the most potent modern myths, which is explore by TNT Theater Britain through a Gothic comedy that mixes popular entertainment with a exploration of the darker themes within the myth. Pressing questions like "Is human cloning or stem cell research immoral?" is explored through a Gothic melodrama that switches from high comedy to spine-tingling terror, from love story to horror story, and from thriller to tragedy as the Monster is revealed in all his lonely suffering. Highly visual, fast paced and furious, Frankenstein has a full electronic score by noted composer Paul Flush that operates more in the manner of film than theater.

Contact: 010-5739-4933

Philippe Bizot 40 Years of Silence in Beijing

Date: Nov 23-Dec 1

Venue: Penghao Theater

Price: 150-270 yuan

According to French mime artist Philippe Bizot, "The play is life, so you don't act." Philippe Bizot doesn't say a word on stage and yet, using exaggerated facial expressions and body movements, he expresses himself perfectly. "Silence is my language, my music, and my song," the 58-year-old French mime artist says. "The art of pantomime is a universal language, the language of emotion." The renewed version of 40 Years of Silence consists of 13 short stories as a retrospective of Bizot's 40 year career as a mine.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Lacrimosa 2015 China Tour in Beijing

Date: Nov 21 - 8 pm

Venue: Tango, Beijing

Price: 550/1080 yuan

Lacrimosa is a gothic duo led by German Tilo Wolff, the main composer, and Finn Anne Nurmi. They are currently based in Switzerland, but originally from Germany. Originally counted among the bands of the Neue Deutsche Todeskunst genre, Lacrimosa have developed their style more towards powerful metal, but Gothic elements still remain. Their current musical style mixes gothic rock and heavy metal along with violin, trumpet and more classical instruments, although their musical development throughout the years has also led to changes in instrumentation. Lacrimosa's lyrics are written almost exclusively in German, although since the 1995 album Inferno every album has featured one or two songs in English, generally written by Anne Nurmi. Finnish has also appeared in the spoken intro to two songs ("Schakal" on Inferno and "The Turning Point" on Elodia) and on a bonus track in a limited edition release of Fassade called Vankina. Their lyrics are mainly about loneliness, sadness, darkness, despair and love. The band has sold more than 20,000 copies of each album in Germany but has also gained a large fanbase in Mexico and China.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Burn the Floor in Beijing

Date: Nov 17-19 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Rulun Lecture Hall of Renmin University

Price: 60-880 yuan

Burn the Floor is the ultimate high-voltage theatrical dance experience exploding with jaw-dropping choreography, heart-pounding music and breath-taking moves. From seriously sexy to irresistibly charming, the talented ensemble of dancers joins forces with two sensational singers and a live band in an electrifying production that 'will have you leaping out of your seat to join in' Heat Magazine. Breathing new life into traditional dances such as the Viennese Waltz and Foxtrot, Burn the Floor sears with the passion of the Tango and Pasa Doble, and revels in the sheer energy of the Cha Cha, the Samba, Rumba and Jive. Not just a feel-good but a feel-fantastic show - don't miss your chance to experience it.

Contact: 400-610-3721

Chen Sa and Dragon Quartet in Beijing

Date: Nov 18 - 7:30 pm

Venue: National Center for the Performing Arts

Price: 80-500 yuan

The Dragon String Quartet is an ensemble that formed with the most celebrated Chinese musicians in 2012. The quartet is now made up of four members: first violinist Ning Feng, second violinist Wang Xiaomao, violist Zheng Wenxiao and cellist Qin Liwei. Ning Feng and Qin Liwei, both internationally established Chinese soloists, came up with the idea of forming a string quartet after a series of concerts that joined together by them. Wang Xiaomao is concertmaster of China National Ballet Orchestra. Zheng Wenxiao is Principal Viola of Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks). The Dragon String Quartet performs around the world regularly, introducing the masterworks of string quartet to the audiences, rediscovering rarely performed but outstanding pieces, and promoting contemporary works especially those great pieces created by Chinese composers. World-renowned Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang wrote a String Quartet on Tibetan natural and cultural theme that named Manasarovar for Dragon Quartet at the beginning of its establishment.

Contact: 010-6655-0000

ACTIVITIES

Hidden City Game: Saved by the Bell

Date: Nov 22 - 1:30 pm

Venue: Modernista

Price: 70 yuan

For the tenth time, locals and expatriates are invited to participate in an exciting exploration and adventure challenge, this time around the Gulou area. We will continue with a new format designed to attract wider participation from novices to competitive teams. For this event, participants start in Modernista, a Parisian-styled bar, located in 44 Baochao Hutong off Gulou Dongdajie. Teams of 2, 3 or 4 people will pick up a set of instructions and questions. Leaving at different times, they will walk around nearby area and artistic sites answering questions based on observation while completing activities based on art, design, photographs and anything we can think of. Competition teams have 2.5 hours, while other teams can explore anytime from 2 to 4 hours. Teams finish back at the same caf??, for marking and post-event entertainment.

Contact: Wechat ID paulitt

BCD Speaker Series - The Left-behind Children in China

Date: Nov 21 - 7 pm

Venue: Tianchu Miaoxiang Vegan Restaurant

China has around 61 million children whose parents have migrated to a city to find work and left them in rural areas with a relative or on their own. Some of these girls and boys who are left behind do not receive sufficient emotional support or live with limited household income that hinders access to education and other services, and are often at greater risk of injury, human trafficking, violence, abuse or neglect. UNICEF China's work includes partnering with the Ministry of Education since early 2000 on a Child-Friendly Schools model including Social and Emotional Learning Programme in five western provinces across 250 rural schools, particularly to target the most vulnerable children including those left-behind and ethnic minorities. Social and emotional learning is the process through which children acquire knowledge, attitudes and skills to recognize and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, demonstrate care and concern for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle interpersonal situations effectively.

Contact: 010-59001288

Nightlife

Freakish Party at Vtime

Date: Nov 14 - 7 pm

Venue: Vtime Bar

Price: 238-298 yuan

Vtime bar is hosting "freak show" themed parties every Saturday night (beginning on Halloween). Participants are encouraged to dress up as scary abominations. Additionally, free makeup will be provided on site.

Independent China in Stereo - Shanghai Bands Beijing Show

Date: Nov 14 - 9 pm

Venue: ModernSky Lab

Price: 50 yuan

From its beginning in 2007 until now, Maybe Mars Records has always worked to help musicians within the Chinese independent, underground rock scene to find bigger stages and better spaces, to get their music heard by more audiences, to earn more diehard fans. From the early days of D-22 to the recent closure of XP, Maybe Mars has fostered a big musical family. Now, even though XP has closed, Maybe Mars is launching a new show series, "Independent China in Stereo". Each month young bands from a different city in China will be invited to come to Beijing for a special performance. The net effect will be to mix youth energy and ideas from the capital with outside pockets, to create a bigger picture of the emergent indie scene on a national scale. Shang's rock'n'roll underground is teeming with many great unknown bands. Beijing's audiences will meet a few of them on Nov 14.

Swing Dance Monday Nights

Date: Nov 16 - 8pm

Venue: No 18 Anletang Hutong, Di'anmennei Dajie

Price: 30 yuan

Join us every Monday night for a beginners' level swing dance class that focuses on Lindy Hop and Charleston. This lively American dance began in Harlem in the 1920's and has received renewed interest in recent years, especially in Los Angeles, California and even here in Beijing. In this class we will focus on basics of both styles with a moderate repertoire of moves for both dances. Partner is optional as we rotate leaders frequently.

Contact: 135-2155-5296

The Comeback of Confucius - Talk with Michael Schuman

Date: Nov 23 - 7:30 pm

Venue: The Bookworm

Price: 40-50 yuan

For much of the past 100 years, Confucius was vilified by reformers and revolutionaries in China who believed the old sage was an outdated relic holding the nation back from a new, glorious future. But today, China's greatest philosopher is experiencing a revival. President Xi Jinping routinely promotes Confucius's ideas in an attempt to resurrect traditional culture as a bulwark against unwanted, foreign influences. The government is promoting Confucius Institutes around the world, using the sage as a brand in a soft-power campaign. Encouraged, ordinary Chinese are revisiting Confucius's teachings and traveling to the sage's hometown of Qufu. The comeback of Confucius is potentially one of the most significant trends in Chinese politics and culture. But is it for real? Can Confucius once again shape Chinese politics and society, as he had in the past? And what would that mean for China's future?

Michael Schuman is author of the new book Confucius and the World He Created. He is a Beijing-based journalist who writes about Asia and the global economy.

Contact: 010-6586-9507

UCCA Gala and Benefit Auction 2015

Date: Nov 22 - 8pm

Venue: Ullens Center for Contemporary Art

Since 2012, the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art has hosted an annual gala to celebrate our past and upcoming exhibitions and to honor those that made them possible. Beginning with the help of one designer, our gala has continued to mature over the past three years through generous donations of artwork from several artists. Now with support from international brands Dior, PYE, Davidoff, Morgan-Stanley, Sotheby's, and Pernod-Ricard as well as twenty-two major galleries from China and abroad, the gala and its accompanying benefit auction have become the focal point of concerted efforts to create a sustainable environment for Chinese contemporary art.

Contact: 010-5780-0200

SPORTS

CitySport Fall 2015 Basketball League

Date: Nov 14-Dec 12 - 10 am

Venue: Ditan Park

Price: 800 yuan

All levels of skill set are welcome to register and join the league. Games are indoors and will be officiated by experienced referees. The league will feature 8 teams with 8 players each team. Each team will have a captain. The league will be managed by a commissioner who is responsible for organizing league-related events and communications.

Contact: 131-2474-3334

(China Daily 11/14/2015 page20)