Performers rehearse a Shanghai-style Yangko opera, created by Lujiazui communities in Pudong New Area of Shanghai. [Photo/Pudong Times]

Lujiazui communities in Pudong New Area of Shanghai recently created a Shanghai-style Yangko opera as an artistic interpretation of the daily lives of Shanghai women.

The opera is in five acts and tells stories of Shanghai women losing themselves in a pursuit of material comfort and finally finding peace and joy in Shanghai-style Yangko dance.

The stories are based on the real lives of local citizens and are expected to help preserve local culture and promote the city's spirit.

About 50 Yangko dancers and local residents performed in the opera, with one performer, Wang Guoqin, saying that the scenes are so reminiscent of her past that it feels like her real life has been put on the stage.

Local officials said that the opera will debut in Pudong on August 8, and then tour local streets and towns.

The Yangko dance is one of the most representative folk dances in China and a unique collective singing and dancing art. It is smooth, happy and compact in rhythm.

Lujiazui communities are the birthplace of the Shanghai-style of Yangko dance, which features joyous movements, abundant dance language, exuberant gestures and vivid expressions. The folk dance has now become a popular sporting event that promotes neighborhood communication and adds vitality to the financial district. It was exposed to the world at the Beijing Olympics Games in 2008 and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 and is now well-known globally.