In this recent photo, 54-year-old Han Xilan plays as Greek goddess Aphrodite during a rehearsal for a performance art festival in October in Shanghai.

 

A group of retirees from Shanghai's Jing'an district are getting a new lease on life as living sculptures.

 

The group of about 20 are rehearsing their performance art, which involves dressing up and standing stock still for extended periods of time, ahead of a district drama sculpture festival in October.

 

The group had their first rehearsal, on Nanjing Road W, at the weekend, when they dressed up as characters from the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" and other dramatic and mythical figures.

 

Han Xilan, 54, came as Greek goddess Aphrodite. She wore a white dress and held a golden apple, changing pose every 15 minutes.

 

"I used to be in a chorus, but now I have found being a living sculpture is more challenging," Han said.

 

Another performer Li Qihua, a 55-year-old retired technical worker, said that when she first started to perform living sculpture she got tired easily because she had to stay completely still for 15 to 20 minutes.

 

"We cannot even blink, or breathe heavily," she said. "But gradually I've got used to it and now I can meet all the requirements of being a living sculpture performer. I believe the activity is also good for my health."

 

The group plans to rehearse 20 times before the festival, and more dramas will be raided for inspiration, including "Hamlet" and "Les Miserables," said Sun Guoxiong, an official with the Shanghai Culture Bureau Jing'an District branch, the activity's organizer.

 

"It used to be that only young people were interested in such activities, but now an increasing number of middle-aged and even seniors are taking part," said Sun. "We want to attract more people to play a role in the living sculpture festival."

 

The festival, which is expected to be held on the district's Huashan Road, will feature living sculptures of famous literary characters from both home and abroad.

 

(Shanghai Daily April 17, 2007)