Dance drama “Peony Pavilion” is staged at the Shanghai Grand Theater last night to kick off this year’s Shanghai International Arts Festival. Adapted from the original 20-hour, 55- scene Kunqu Opera, the new dance drama is a Broadway-style version of “Cinderella” based on the convoluted classic of the same name from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The drama discards much of the dramatic warfare in the original, focusing instead on the love between the maiden Du Liniang and scholar Liu Mengmei. It includes some gestures from the famous Kunqu version.-Shanghai Daily