How dance venues have shaped Shanghai

In Shanghai, dance venues can be distinguished by the role they serve and how that role has changed. The Paramount at 218 Yuyuan Road in Jing’an opened in 1933 in the Art Deco style. The two-level main hall had a sprung dance floor, while a smaller dance floor had a glass floor. From 1937, people danced there in a taxi dance hall. The ballroom closed in 1956, and the building was converted into a cinema. After renovations in the early 2000s, it became a ballroom again. In April 2017, it reopened with an evening program after further renovations.

This venue’s history differs from that of a theater: in a ballroom, the dance floor itself was a central part of the evening. The Shanghai Grand Theatre at People’s Square in Huangpu, on the other hand, is a performance venue. It opened in 1998 and presents ballets, among other works. When you visit a venue, this distinction can help you know what to expect: would you like to watch a production, or are you interested in the history of a space used for dancing and socializing?

The Shanghai Ballet is the city's state ballet company. It was founded in 1966 and has had its current name since 1979. Its repertoire includes works such as Jane Eyre, Swan Lake and Giselle. The company is based at the Shanghai International Dance Center, 1650 Hongqiao Road in Changning. Completed in 2016, the center is also home to the Shanghai Song and Dance Troupe.

The distinction is useful when planning your visit: a company develops and performs productions, a center provides it with a permanent home, and each performance has a designated venue. The Shanghai Grand Theatre works with the Shanghai Ballet, among others, but is not its home base. So if you're looking for a performance, check the announcement to see which venue it's at. For a stylistic comparison between classical and contemporary dance, the article about ballet and contemporary dance in Shanghai may also help.

The history of these places shows that dancing in Shanghai has taken different public forms: as a social evening in a ballroom, as a stage experience, and as the work of a professional company. None of these forms replaces the others. A historic ballroom tells us about dance customs of the past; an ensemble keeps repertoire and stage work alive; a theater brings performances to an audience.

If you want to choose a place for yourself, tailor your search to what you have in mind. For an evening as a spectator, you need a specific performance and its venue. To get a glimpse into the history, it’s worth asking how a building was used and what remains of that today. And if you want to dance regularly yourself, a course fits more easily into your everyday life than a visit to a stage. You can find an overview of the city page and its options at Dancing in Shanghai. It’s best to check current courses and dates using the relevant filter, rather than assuming that today’s offerings can be inferred from a venue’s history.