Ballet
The Great Silk Way
Description
The ballet The Great Silk Road is a poetic journey from the cold city of the future to the Great Silk Road, where love triumphs over illusion.
Aigerim Erkebayeva
The Great Silk Way
Ballet in 2 Acts
Libretto and Choreography – Gulzhan Tutkibayeva
The premiere at the Abay Opera House took place on 29.11.2025
Production Team:
Choreographer and Stage Director – Gulzhan Tutkibayeva, People’s Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Conductor and Music Director – Kuanish Ismailov
Conductor – Kanat Omarov
Set and Costume Designer – Alexandra Rychkova
Lighting Designer – Tatyana Mishina, Laureate of the Golden Mask Award (Moscow, Russia)
Video Content Designer – Marat Sagadinov
Assistant Choreographers – Gulvira Kurbanova, Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Ruslan Kadyrov; Olzhas Makhanbetaliev
Assistant Directors, Stage Managers – Galina Bulgartseva, Aliya Zhabaeva
Characters
- Young Man
- Aksunkar
- Venetian Merchant
- Elder
- Head Monk
- Aksunkar’s Friends
- Dance of Spices
- Tempters
- Monks, Stars, Rubies, City of the Future, Dzhigits, Dance of Silk, Dance of Lanterns
Act I
The City of the Future
People are isolated and embittered. Technology has enveloped every individual in a cocoon of loneliness. Human connection has vanished — people pass by one another without exchanging glances.
In this indifferent and cruel world lives a young man whose heart still preserves the warmth of true emotion. Wandering among lifeless faces, he yearns for understanding and love but receives only coldness and aggression in return. One day he meets a wise old man who, as a guide through time, reveals to him memories of the Great Silk Way and inspires him to search for true love.
The shimmering of the starry sky carries the young man far into the past…
The Era of the Great Silk Way
A caravanserai of the ancient Turks spreads its tents wide, always ready to welcome merchants from distant lands with their rare and precious goods. The marketplace is alive with energy. The governor’s daughter, Aksunkar, admires the glittering jewelry and expresses her refined femininity in a graceful dance with her friends.
The young man, overwhelmed by emotion, is captivated by the genuine and living beauty of Aksunkar. He approaches her — their eyes meet, and time seems to stop.
Persian merchants arrive, offering vivid fabrics and carpets shimmering with colors and intricate patterns, enchanting the townsfolk. Spirited dzhigits show their strength and skill, hoping to win Aksunkar’s heart. Indian merchants present fragrant spices whose exquisite aroma fills the square.
The young man is swept away by the enchanting life of the caravanserai and the tender affection that grows between him and Aksunkar. Their love flares brightly — it seems nothing could ever part them. But among the travelers appears a mysterious Venetian merchant selling wondrous mirrors. Enchanted by Aksunkar’s beauty, he casts a spell over her, plunging her into a mystical sleep and taking her away.
The young man, determined to save his beloved, sets out with the caravan on a distant journey.
Act II
The travelers arrive in a Chinese city during the Festival of Silk, where merchants trade this delicate and precious fabric. The dance of the silk maidens — a gentle weaving of dream and reality — fascinates the young man. Yet his heart burns only with longing for Aksunkar.
The mirror merchant, lurking in the shadows, watches him closely. He is no ordinary trader — he is a collector of reflections, stealing people’s souls to trap them within his enchanted mirrors. Each mirror is a fragment of an illusory world he creates to replace reality with hollow images.
In the distant future — the world from which the young man came — this process has already been completed: people, absorbed by digital reflections, have lost all true emotion, becoming prisoners of illusion. The merchant is the herald of that fate; by enslaving Aksunkar, he seeks to deprive the young man of the last source of genuine love.
The young man decides to journey to the sacred mountains of Tien Shan, where ancient monks guard the fire of wisdom. Alone in his quest, he undertakes this perilous path.
At the monastery at the foot of the Tien Shan mountains, the sacred fire burns. In the temple, among flickering lamps, monks in saffron robes chant ancient mantras — their voices merging into a single stream. The young man appeals to the monks for help. They tell him he must pass the trials of the human soul to gain strength and purity of spirit.
Enduring temptations of wealth, power and desire, he attains the fire of love — the divine energy that can free Aksunkar and defeat the illusion. In the final battle, he reflects the sacred fire in the magical mirrors. They crack and shatter, releasing the captive souls. The fire of love triumphs over illusion.
Freed from the enchantment, Aksunkar vanishes like a mirage, leaving only the radiant image of her soul in the young man’s heart.
The young man returns to his own time. The same people. The same cold city.
But now, carrying within him the fire of love, he ignites the hearts of others — and the world around him begins to change.
The ballet The Great Silk Road is a poetic journey from the cold city of the future to the Great Silk Road, where love triumphs over illusion.
Aigerim Erkebayeva
The Great Silk Way
Ballet in 2 Acts
Libretto and Choreography – Gulzhan Tutkibayeva
The premiere at the Abay Opera House took place on 29.11.2025
Production Team:
Choreographer and Stage Director – Gulzhan Tutkibayeva, People’s Artist of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Conductor and Music Director – Kuanish Ismailov
Conductor – Kanat Omarov
Set and Costume Designer – Alexandra Rychkova
Lighting Designer – Tatyana Mishina, Laureate of the Golden Mask Award (Moscow, Russia)
Video Content Designer – Marat Sagadinov
Assistant Choreographers – Gulvira Kurbanova, Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Ruslan Kadyrov; Olzhas Makhanbetaliev
Assistant Directors, Stage Managers – Galina Bulgartseva, Aliya Zhabaeva
Characters
- Young Man
- Aksunkar
- Venetian Merchant
- Elder
- Head Monk
- Aksunkar’s Friends
- Dance of Spices
- Tempters
- Monks, Stars, Rubies, City of the Future, Dzhigits, Dance of Silk, Dance of Lanterns
Act I
The City of the Future
People are isolated and embittered. Technology has enveloped every individual in a cocoon of loneliness. Human connection has vanished — people pass by one another without exchanging glances.
In this indifferent and cruel world lives a young man whose heart still preserves the warmth of true emotion. Wandering among lifeless faces, he yearns for understanding and love but receives only coldness and aggression in return. One day he meets a wise old man who, as a guide through time, reveals to him memories of the Great Silk Way and inspires him to search for true love.
The shimmering of the starry sky carries the young man far into the past…
The Era of the Great Silk Way
A caravanserai of the ancient Turks spreads its tents wide, always ready to welcome merchants from distant lands with their rare and precious goods. The marketplace is alive with energy. The governor’s daughter, Aksunkar, admires the glittering jewelry and expresses her refined femininity in a graceful dance with her friends.
The young man, overwhelmed by emotion, is captivated by the genuine and living beauty of Aksunkar. He approaches her — their eyes meet, and time seems to stop.
Persian merchants arrive, offering vivid fabrics and carpets shimmering with colors and intricate patterns, enchanting the townsfolk. Spirited dzhigits show their strength and skill, hoping to win Aksunkar’s heart. Indian merchants present fragrant spices whose exquisite aroma fills the square.
The young man is swept away by the enchanting life of the caravanserai and the tender affection that grows between him and Aksunkar. Their love flares brightly — it seems nothing could ever part them. But among the travelers appears a mysterious Venetian merchant selling wondrous mirrors. Enchanted by Aksunkar’s beauty, he casts a spell over her, plunging her into a mystical sleep and taking her away.
The young man, determined to save his beloved, sets out with the caravan on a distant journey.
Act II
The travelers arrive in a Chinese city during the Festival of Silk, where merchants trade this delicate and precious fabric. The dance of the silk maidens — a gentle weaving of dream and reality — fascinates the young man. Yet his heart burns only with longing for Aksunkar.
The mirror merchant, lurking in the shadows, watches him closely. He is no ordinary trader — he is a collector of reflections, stealing people’s souls to trap them within his enchanted mirrors. Each mirror is a fragment of an illusory world he creates to replace reality with hollow images.
In the distant future — the world from which the young man came — this process has already been completed: people, absorbed by digital reflections, have lost all true emotion, becoming prisoners of illusion. The merchant is the herald of that fate; by enslaving Aksunkar, he seeks to deprive the young man of the last source of genuine love.
The young man decides to journey to the sacred mountains of Tien Shan, where ancient monks guard the fire of wisdom. Alone in his quest, he undertakes this perilous path.
At the monastery at the foot of the Tien Shan mountains, the sacred fire burns. In the temple, among flickering lamps, monks in saffron robes chant ancient mantras — their voices merging into a single stream. The young man appeals to the monks for help. They tell him he must pass the trials of the human soul to gain strength and purity of spirit.
Enduring temptations of wealth, power and desire, he attains the fire of love — the divine energy that can free Aksunkar and defeat the illusion. In the final battle, he reflects the sacred fire in the magical mirrors. They crack and shatter, releasing the captive souls. The fire of love triumphs over illusion.
Freed from the enchantment, Aksunkar vanishes like a mirage, leaving only the radiant image of her soul in the young man’s heart.
The young man returns to his own time. The same people. The same cold city.
But now, carrying within him the fire of love, he ignites the hearts of others — and the world around him begins to change.
Cast and Performers
The cast will be announced along with the official date
Gallery
Gallery
