Kicking off this year’s festival is Sutra (May 2, 8pm, Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, $200-$100), a new dance work produced by Britain’s Sadler’s Wells company that is inspired by the dedication and determination of China’s Shaolin monks. The show is coreographed by Flemish/Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and was highly praised by the UK’s Guardian newspaper, who said of it: “This unique, profoundly imagined show takes the concept of cultural exchange to a whole new level.”

Music, Architecture, Sonic, and Sculpture create the acronym for MASS Ensemble with David Myriam (Sun 10, 8pm, Macau Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, $100-$40), performers who use these mediums to create cutting-edge art. Their music boasts traditional instrumentation, as well as unique instruments invented by artistic director Bill Close, such as the Earth Harp, the world’s largest stringed instrument. The strings reach out from the stage to the rear of the auditorium, transforming the hall – with the audience inside – into one gigantic resonating instrument.

On Sunday 3 and Monday 4, Wenji: Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute (8pm, Dom Pedro V Theatre, $60) is based on the true 2nd-century story of Cai Wenji. The story reflects nomadic culture and the strife of an unsettled existence as the heroine of the tale has to decide whether to return to her home in China, from where she was abducted, or live a new life with her husband and children in the northern wastelands. Her recorded  poems and writings documenting her experiences led to this contemporary opera that fills the stage with light and colour as the characters come to life.

With the planet in peril, being green is all the rage. Canadian group L’Arsenal à Musique makes the disintegrating environment the focal point of its multi-disciplinary production L’Arche (the ark; May 24, 3pm & 8pm, Macau Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, $100, $60). Using music, projections and performance, L’Arche asks us to reflect on the impact we have on the world around us, throwing a pointed gaze on the fragile equilibrium that exists between man and nature.

Meanwhile, Hofesh Shechter Company’s double bill – Uprising and In Your Rooms (May 29 & 30, 8pm, Macau Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, $200, $150, $100) is filled with impressive choreography, and original rock, electro and classical music. In Uprising, passion and tension are captured as seven men become locked in conflict, fighting for power, while In Your Rooms oozes with furious energy, touching on the provocative, political, and deeply personal, presenting a society that is scarily alienating and yet shockingly familiar.

Finally, Chimeras (May 24, 8pm, Macau Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, $100-$40), a concert featuring four Macao premieres, is not to be missed. The talent of China’s most outstanding contemporary composers is showcased in this presentation of rare and highly complex symphonic pieces. Full of ethnic flavour while also drawing from Western classical music, the medley of songs offers something for all music lovers. Buy your tickets now.

Looks like May is going to be quite  a month in Macau.

Laura Sennett

Macau Arts Festival, Sat 2 to May 30. Enquiries: (853) 8399 6699; www.icm.gov.mo/fam.