The 12th Shanghai International Art Festival will begin on Sept 27, three weeks earlier than usual, in order to dovetail with the Expo.

"The Expo already has a number of cultural events so we want to put together some exceptionally good programs for this year's art festival," says Chen Dong, an official with the municipal PR department.

"We chose very carefully, picked 45 programs, 20 per cent less than usual. We want the festival to be an integrated part of the Expo season, and provide colorful artistic events for visitors to the Expo and Shanghai."

Dance shows are the biggest highlight of this year's festival program. The opening show for the festival is the global premiere of Marco Polo - the Last Mission, by Shanghai Ballet. The production will feature costume designs by Pierre Cardin, choreography by Jose Martinez, the principal dancer and choreographer from Paris Opera Ballet.

The Ballet of Monte Carlo will present its Nijinsky award-winning Le Belle. The internationally acclaimed company presented Cinderella as the opening show for last year's art festival in Shanghai.

The Royal Ballet of Flanders will give the Asian premiere of its modern ballet Impressing the Czar. The play premiered in 1987, and received the Laurence Olivier Award for outstanding achievement in dance.

A joint production between Chinese and Japanese artists, Mulan is the Chinese folktale about a young woman who pretends to be a man and joins the army to fight invaders. Shanghai-based dancer Huang Doudou will join Makoto Tsubasa of Takarazuka Revue, a popular Japanese female theater company. The musical dance show Mulan combines traditional Chinese culture, Japanese art and a modern stage presentation.

Silk Road Flower Rain was a dance show created in the 1980s that successfully presented dance scenes depicted in the Dunhuang frescos. This year artists from Gansu will bring a new edition of the modern classic to the festival.

Conductor Zubin Mehta will lead the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for the concert that marks the conclusion of this year's Shanghai International Art Festival.

Hong Kong Culture Week will also fit in with the Expo and offers a series of concerts, art shows and theatrical productions from the city, some in downtown venues, others in the Expo garden.

Besides the 45 stage shows to be presented during the four week-festival, half by domestic artists and half from overseas, the festival also features colorful community events, an academic forum and an international art trading fair, in which China's best stage productions will be introduced to the international market.