what's performed
The music and dances on stage
A closer look at the staged pieces that run between courses.
Check seatings and price ↗The performed rites
| Rite | What it is |
|---|---|
| Music rite | Live music carrying the room from the welcome into the meal |
| Dance rite | Costumed dance performed as a course is served |
| Opera rite | A sung theatre excerpt, drawing on forms such as Kunqu |
Six rites, not one long show
Rather than a single continuous performance, the evening is broken into six shorter staged rites, each tied to a course rather than running as one unbroken programme.
The music and dance rites
A music rite and a dance rite sit in the middle of the sequence, costumed performers and live instrumentation carrying the room from the opening ceremony toward the night's sung-theatre piece.
Kunqu's role in the opera rite
The opera rite draws on forms including Kunqu, a centuries-old sung theatre style from the Kunshan region near Suzhou, recognised by UNESCO in 2001 as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
A dance-drama built on Xi Shi
A dance-drama drawing on the story of Xi Shi, one of China's Four Beauties from the Spring and Autumn period, has featured among the hall's staged pieces.
The structure to expect
Treat the six rites as the shape of the evening rather than a minute-by-minute script — cast size and running order can vary sitting to sitting.
Photography during the show
Hold off on flash photography while a rite is underway, and stay seated during the dance and opera rites rather than moving around the room for a better angle.