(VOVworld)- Tố nữ dân ca – “The lady singing folk songs” – is a Chèo, or traditional Vietnamese theater performance at the French Institute Hanoi. The performance which was arranged on a modern stage and decorated by contemporary painters appealed young audience to traditional theater.
Xuy Van- a Cheo character by painter Ly Truc Son |
Members of the “Dong Kinh co nhac” group are currently at the French Institute Hanoi performing the “Lady singing folk songs”, the performance that is inspired by folk paintings on do (poonah) papers of painter Ly Truc Son, who is in charge of stage management and decoration. Son said decorations on the stage were created not long before the performance began: “I have no preconception when it comes to stage decoration. I believe one layout will leads to another. I wait until the backdrop is set, then I start drawing. It totally depends on my inspiration.”
The performance is a mixture of music and visual art, involving several top Vietnamese vocalists and famous Cheo artists like People’s Artist Thanh Hoài, Meritorious Artist Thanh Bình and artists Thuy Ngan, Manh Phong, Tran Thinh and Vu Ngoc. Unlike older Cheo performances which tell a long story, this performance only presents the climax of each play and doesn’t use speakers, microphones, or recorded music. Artist Thanh Hoai said:“This program is totally different. Artists sing the oldest Cheo melodies, followed by a short introduction presented by another artist. For example, in the play “Xuy Van”, we only perform the climax – the weaving scene.”
Painter Ly Truc Son and Cheo artists- Photo:thethaovanhoa.vn |
Đàm Quang Minh, one of the performance organizers, said that the performance has adapted Cheo performance to make it more lively and attractive without departing from traditional Cheo rules. Minh said: “Music and visual arts make the stage different, with different colors and presentations. We try to bring personal creativity to our performances. The performances are arranged like a concert, so that the audience can understand this art form.”
Like many other artists who have dedicated their lives to Cheo, Meritorious Artist Doan Thanh Binh said she hopes the project will inspire the younger generations before it’s too late:“Our group are all artists dedicated to traditional arts. For example, People’s Artist Xuan Hoach loves with musical instruments and People’s Artist Thanh Hoai loves Cheo. We’ve learned by ourselves and from each other to sing folk songs. Our life purpose is to preserve and teach the younger generation about Vietnam’s traditional arts.”
After this performance, the “Dong Kinh Co Nhac” group will have present another show featuring poem chanting and music, in which poems will be set to folk songs, including all kinds of Vietnamese traditional music.
Phuong Thuy- Lan Anh