Performers present a Shanghai-style Yangko opera centered on daily lives of Shanghai women. [Photo/Pudong Times]

A Shanghai-style Yangko opera centered on daily lives of Shanghai women made its debut in Pudong New Area of Shanghai on Aug 8.

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.

The performers include about 50 Yangko dancers and local residents. In addition to Yangko dance, the opera also combines various art forms featuring music, rap, poetry and acrobatics, making it more appealing to the audience.

Wang Guomin, one of the audiences, expressed her love to Shanghai-style Yangko dance and hoped the dance to be exposed to more people.

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.

Pudong's 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.