Kharkov National Opera @ Shanghai Oriental Art Center on May 31 & June 1



The Kharkov National Opera and Ballet Theater is one of the oldest musical theaters in the former USSR and Ukraine. They're in Shanghai performing Ludwig Minkus’ four-act ballet La Bayadere on May 31 and Tchaikovsky’s classic Swan Lake on June 1. Tickets from 280rmb.


Swan Lake @ Shanghai Culture Square from June 21-26



Look out for some Olympic-level ice dancing, as The Imperial Ice Stars bring the award-winning classic Swan Lake to Shanghai. They've performed this story on ice in more than 30 countries since 2006. Tickets from 150rmb.


Ballet Napoli & La Sylphide @ Shanghai Oriental Art Center from June 23-26



The Royal Danish Ballet is back for two shows: Napoli and La Sylphide. Napoli is one of August Bournonville’s signature masterpieces, and is a prime example of a Danish interpretation of Romanticism. La Sylphide is a two act ballet originally choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, but August Bournonville’s 1836 adaptation for the Royal Danish Ballet is the only version known to have survived. Tickets from 580rmb.


Escaping from the Temple at Shanghai Culture Square on July 3



Escaping from the Temple is the final chapter in the trilogy series, Oriental Desire of the Soul, directed by one of China’s most well-known modern dance choreographers and directors, Zhao Liang. The piece reinterprets a classic piece of Chinese literature with a contemporary spin. Tickets TBD.


Cirque Éloize Cirkopolis @ Shanghai Grand Theatre from July 3-9



Founded in 1993, Cirque Éloize are one of the leading contemporary circuses in the world. Their shows combine circus arts with music, dance, and theater, and they've done over 4,000 performances around the globe. Tickets from 180rmb.


Contemporary Dance: Traces at Shanghai Children's Art Theatre from July 8-17



Traces is the story of seven people trapped in a make-shift shelter, waiting for an unknown catastrophe to happen outside. Combining traditional acrobatics and theater with street art, skateboarding, and basketball, Traces is an explosive production that’s won rave reviews from Rolling Stone and more. Tickets from 280rmb.


Sleeping Beauty: A Gothic Romance at Shanghai Culture Square from August 16-28



Riding on the heels of his last Shanghai success, 2014's Swan Lake, English superstar choreographer / director Matthew Bourne is back with his latest triumph, Sleeping Beauty. Based on the music of Tchaikovsky, his take on the classic fairy tale puts a modern Gothic spin on the story, and has already broken box office records in the UK and North America. Tickets from 120rmb.