Source: CCTV.com

09-21-2006 07:52

It was a splendid Tuesday evening at Beijing Poly Theater, as artists from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region presented a song and dance gala. The audience got a look into the heart of China's beautiful northwest.

The evening opened with an ode to love and peace. The Muqam style of song-and-dance is found in 19 Asian countries, but the Uygur ethnic group, in Xinjiang, holds the widest repertoire. The lyrics tell centuries-old legends, handed down orally from generation to generation.

One could see new developments in Uygur dance, in a syncopated, lively salute to a mountain flower - and travel with the tribe down hilly roads, with the undulating "Songs along the Shore".

The 1.6 million square-kilometer Xinjiang region, one-sixth of China's total territory, is home to 47 ethnic groups. And they've created rich traditions for singing and dancing. Another group presenting Tuesday night was the Kazak. One of their ancient proverbs reads that "dancing and horses are the two wings of the people". This is a traditional Kazak wedding dance.