Dance troupe Bandaloop swing down the Kerry Center yesterday on the eve of the International Arts Festival. — Wang Rongjiang

LIONEL Richie might have been dancing on the ceiling in the 1980s, but that was nothing compared to the show laid on yesterday by a troupe of performers from the United States who “danced” all the way down the Jing An Kerry Center.

As part of the buildup to this year’s Shanghai International Arts Festival, which starts today, four members of vertical dance company Bandaloop spun, twirled and shimmied their way down the center’s 80-meter-high Tower 3.

The descent lasted about 15 minutes and was watched by a crowd of about 100 cheering shoppers and office workers.

“It was really exciting,” a man surnamed Wu told Shanghai Daily.

Two American women watching from the safety of terra firma described it simply as “wonderful.”

The performance was the group’s first in China’s mainland, though in its 24-year history its members have descended everything from the Leaning Tower rock formation in Yosemite National Park in the United States to the IFC Tower in Seoul, capital of South Korea.

Bandaloop will repeat their Kerry Center descent twice daily — at 11am and 4pm — from today through Sunday, and at the same times on October 23-25. They will also stage a single performance at 4pm on October 22.

(By Chen Huizhi Shanghai Daily)