Night on the Prairie — The Ballad of Kokdala premieres in Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

From Jan 17 to 18, Night on the Prairie — The Ballad of Kokdala, a theatrical production combining singing, dancing and drama, premiered at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center. The work is co-produced by China Oriental Performing Arts Group.

The play focuses on the life of the first generation of pioneers who traveled from different parts of the country to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in the 1950s. Their journey and contributions form the emotional core of the narrative.

Night on the Prairie — The Ballad of Kokdala premieres in Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The performance not only carries the memories of the older generations but also transcends regional and temporal boundaries, resonating deeply with contemporary audiences.

The work deeply explores the musical essence of ethnic groups living in Xinjiang, blending it with modern dramatic music vocabulary.

The performance incorporates ethnic instruments such as the morin khuur, or the horse-headed fiddle, dutar, and tambour, creating emotionally rich and distinct songs. Choreography fuses the original movement expressions of different ethnicities with contemporary physical storytelling, vividly presenting cultural customs while externalizing the characters' inner worlds.

Night on the Prairie — The Ballad of Kokdala premieres in Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The stage design centers on the image of "letters", with undulating pages forming the main stage. This visual motif represents the physical space of the story as well as the emotional flow, creating a frontier atmosphere, enhanced by lighting to evoke both a poetic and realistic space.

The premiere was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers long after the curtain call. The production features actors and dancers, including Wang Xi, Zhou Mohan, and Ju Hongchuan.

Main cast members pose after the show in Beijing on Jan 17. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]