A stage photo of Legend on the Silk Road. [Photo/ Gansu Song and Dance Theater]

The classic Dunhuang dance drama Legend on the Silk Road will stage its new 2025 edition at the Gansu Grand Theater on Sept 19.

First created in 1979, it was the first Chinese dance drama to turn the millennia-old Mogao Grottoes murals into dynamic dance language, opening a new era in Chinese dance drama history.

Over the past 47 years, the performance has been staged more than 4,000 times in over 40 countries and regions, reaching a cumulative attendance of nearly 5.54 million. It is regarded as the defining work of Chinese Dunhuang dance and a landmark in Chinese dance drama history.

The new edition features upgraded choreography, costumes, makeup, stage property, and music. It restores classic images such as apsaras and the six-armed deity, using a flying carriage to recreate apsaras walking on clouds from the murals.

The new edition also includes a re-choreographed character solo to strengthen dramatic expression, as well as greater technical difficulty in solos, duets, trios, and group dances

The six classic dance sections of the drama remain, centered on Silk Road friendship. The epilogue expresses the wish that traditional friendship among peoples will endure.