Some of the most impressive and striking of the murals at Dunhuang are those of the musicians and dancers, especially the celestial dancers, that are recorded on the walls.
This episode looks at these murals and how they have helped to inspire contemporary dances in China, and influenced art and dance across the region.
The films also recreates the life of a young dancer at the Tang court and her journey to Dunhaung in the 8th century, besides looking at the life of young dancers at the Royal Academy of Arts today.
For more on the modern dances shown in this film there is an excellent series starting with Dunhuang, Flying Apsaras , which is very well made and impressive.
(The film suffers from poor editing in the dubbed version, and there are also a few silences throughout the film. The sound does come back on though, so stay with it!)
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to see an album of stills click here