NH vod
The Road to Samarkand
A 19-year-old Gagauz dancer, stranded alone during a tour in Central Asia, finds herself on the road to Samarkand. What begins as a rejection of her name becomes a journey of identity, roots, and unexpected self-acceptance.
Ghiulcitai, a 19-year-old Gagauz dancer from Moldova, has always rejected her name and roots. When her ensemble tours Uzbekistan, she’s mistakenly left behind at the border after a passport check. Forced to travel across the country with a charming local guide to reach Samarkand, she begins to rediscover pieces of herself in the culture she once denied. From tea houses and crowded bazaars to the vast desert and ancient cities, her journey becomes one of identity, belonging, and transformation. On stage in Samarkand, wearing a traditional Uzbek dress gifted along the way, she finally embraces the name Gyulciai — not as a burden, but as her truth.
