WetMen: Rain 2 – Declaration of Love

Suzhou Forecast: Wet, With a High Chance of Shirtless Russians
The men behind Russia’s Show in the Rain are back with a new production — and this time they’re making a Declaration of Love.

WetMen brings its all-male Russian dance company to Suzhou for 90 minutes of contemporary dance, ballet, hip-hop, breakdance, acrobatics, comedy and some rather impressive physical specimens getting progressively wetter. So perhaps not one for the husbands. Unless they're very secure.

Created by choreographer Rustam Nadyrshin, Rain 2: Declaration of Love is a new chapter in the Russian water-dance project that began with Show in the Rain. The original production premiered in St Petersburg in 2009, with the company going on to perform around the world.

And Chinese audiences certainly seem to have taken a liking to them. During a 2025 residency at Shanghai's 1862 Theatre, WetMen reportedly attracted more than 20,000 audience members, with attendance running at over 90% capacity. That's 20,000 people — or, judging by the publicity photos, approximately 19,997 screaming women and three very supportive husbands.

The new show looks at love from a male perspective — from first attraction and passion to conflict, tenderness and lasting emotional connection. And it does all of this without spoken dialogue, so there's no language barrier to worry about.

But don't expect 90 minutes of terribly serious interpretive dance. There are bunny ears. There’s a giant inflatable duck. There’s comedy and audience interaction. And judging by the publicity photos, the costume department occasionally appears to run out of fabric altogether.

It all builds towards the company's signature spectacle: a stage covered in real falling rain, with water, lighting and choreography combining for a suitably soaking finale.

Chinese publicity has described the production as a “stress-relief show for women.” Looking at the photos, we can see their point.

Girls' night sorted.