Impressive special puppet show to celebrate National Day September 2nd

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2, the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre launched a special art program called "Independence Flower - The Sacred Soul of the Country". With the quintessence of puppetry art rich in identity, the program recreated the heroic, proud and emotional historical milestones of the country.

Image of Uncle Ho reading the Declaration of Independence on stage.

Every autumn, every Vietnamese person is excited to remember the golden pages of the nation's history. The 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2nd are great milestones in the process of building and defending the country, and also the convergence point of faith, aspiration, and love for the Fatherland.

The legend of Saint Giong is recreated on stage.

The special art program "Independence Flower - The Sacred Soul of the Country" of the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre deeply demonstrates the passion, talent and creativity of the artists in creating an emotional artistic sequence, recreating the glorious milestones of the nation, from the legend of Saint Giong, the "Declaration of Independence" to the great victory of spring 1975.

The program is an epic poem in artistic form, affirming the truth: National independence is priceless, the soul of Vietnam.

"Independence Flower - The Sacred Soul of the Country" (scriptwriter: People's Artist Le Chuc; director: People's Artist Nguyen Tien Dung) is built into three chapters, each chapter recreating a different historical context of our nation.

We advocate combining other forms such as dance, drama, opera, with modern technology in lighting, sound, LED projection... to create multi-dimensional effects. The most important thing is that puppetry still plays a central role, preserving the folk spirit, creating the identity of the program." - People's Artist Nguyen Tien Dung, Director of the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre.

The program opens with the legend of Saint Giong, a heroic symbol that opens the light of patriotism. From the story of Phu Dong Thien Vuong, the audience is led on a journey back in history, reliving the pride in the will of independence and self-reliance that has forged the Vietnamese national character.

The beauty of puppetry art brings many impressions to the audience.

Following that historical line, the program recreates the ideological milestones through three immortal declarations of independence: "Nam quoc son ha" by Ly Thuong Kiet; "Binh Ngo dai cao" by Nguyen Trai and the Declaration of Independence by President Ho Chi Minh - the document that gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam), affirming the nation's right to independence, freedom and aspiration for peace .

Closing the program was the historical milestone of April 30, 1975, the complete victory of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, affirming the indomitable strength of the Vietnamese people against all forces.

Deputy Director of the Department of Performing Arts (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Luong Duc Thang (top row, second from right) presented flowers to congratulate the program crew.

The three chapters of "Independence Flower - The Sacred Soul of the Country" are constructed with consistency, generality, and rich depth of thought and art. In chapter 1, the choice of the legend of Saint Giong as the opening evokes the eternal spirit, laying the foundation for the thousand-year historical flow of building and defending the country.

Chapter 2 reaches its climax with three declarations of independence, both affirming sovereignty and reviving the spirit of humanity and Vietnamese wisdom in each era. This is an important highlight, requiring a close combination of language, music, light and puppet images to convey the historical spirit.

Chapter 3 ends with the epic victory of spring 1975 - the image of a united country, a complete, independent, and unified country.

"Independence Flower - The Sacred Soul of the Country" was officially launched on the evening of August 31 and September 1, becoming a special artistic highlight in the series of activities celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2.

The elaborate structure of each chapter is a blend of historical events, simultaneously creating the atmosphere, spirit and emotions of an entire period. The elements of art, music and puppetry language are all carefully selected and harmonized to form a continuous flow. Thanks to that, the audience is naturally guided, reliving each heroic turning point of the nation.

Sharing about the elaborate and meaningful art program, People's Artist Nguyen Tien Dung, Director of the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre, said: "Each art form has its own strengths. With puppetry, we have the advantage of symbolism, magic and rich imagery.

However, if we only stop at familiar performances, the audience, especially the younger generation, will find it difficult to fully appreciate the depth of history. Therefore, we advocate combining other forms such as dance, drama, opera, along with modern technology in lighting, sound, LED projection, etc. to create multi-dimensional effects. The most important thing is that puppetry still plays a central role, preserving the folk spirit, creating the identity of the program."

Vietnamese cultural identity is rich and vivid on stage.

People's Artist Nguyen Tien Dung also emphasized the educational message: "For the young generation, especially children, art is always an easier way to touch the soul than mere theory. When children are exposed to historical images from a young age, love for the Fatherland will be like 'slow and steady rain', permeating the mind naturally.

We hope that through this program, children will understand that national independence is not something obvious, but the result of the blood, bones and intelligence of our ancestors, so that they will have more faith, respect, pride and continue the tradition in the most natural way."

Sharing about the script writing process, People's Artist Le Chuc expressed: "Love for the nation, pride in history and the great sacrifices of our ancestors have been deeply ingrained in our blood and flesh, becoming the source for each word to flow naturally.

When making a program about history, we want to evoke the spirit of an entire era. Viewers need to feel the breath, spirit and national character in every layer and detail of the work. That is also a way for art to contribute to prolonging national memory, so that today and tomorrow, we will be more proud and grateful."

The program has a smooth combination of theatrical forms.

When recreating each historical period, the program cleverly chooses a symbol to lead the way. For example, the symbol of the boat in chapter 1 evokes the image of the nation overcoming storms to build a foundation; the symbol of the "pen" in chapter 2 symbolizes wisdom, justice and the desire for enlightenment through immortal heroic literature. Meanwhile, the image of the people in chapter 3 is the fulcrum, the source of the great solidarity that leads to the final victory.

These symbols not only contribute to creating consistency in imagery, but also more clearly depict the philosophical depth: national history is a journey from heroic spirit to humane wisdom, and crystallizes in the strength of the people.

The simple yet magical beauty of Vietnamese people.

Notably, the performances are built on the foundation of traditional water puppetry, but have been renewed with contemporary thinking. The puppet characters have become part of the overall language, blending with music, lighting, stage art and the artists' performance. It is this harmony that has turned each performance into evocative artistic pieces, which when put together, create a seamless flow, recreating the entire history of building and defending the nation.

"Independence Flower - The Sacred Soul of the Country" was officially launched on the evening of August 31 and September 1, becoming a special artistic highlight in the series of activities celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2.

One of the factors that contributed to the success of the program was the enthusiasm and passion of the children. In front of the iconic images such as Saint Giong riding an iron horse, the army going to battle or the scene of the country connecting together, the children's eyes lit up with joy and pride.

The role of the narrator helps the program become more realistic and closer.

The presence of a narrator acts as a bridge, making the children more familiar with the content, because each historical story is told in simple and vivid language. It is the proactive approach to young audiences that has helped "Independence Flower - The Sacred Soul of the Country" create artistic beauty and vivid historical lessons, instilling in the souls of the young generation national pride and love for the homeland from the very beginning.

"Independence Flower - The Sacred Soul of the Country" is an epic poem that recreates the journey of defending and building the nation. From legend to history, from the spirit of our ancestors to today's aspirations.

The process of building and contributing in an elaborate, creative and dedicated manner, the program not only has the meaning of expressing gratitude to the previous generation, but also inspires the current and future generations. Then, from the sound of drums, the sound of water, the shape of puppets, the flame of independence and freedom continues to be preserved, lit and guided for the Vietnamese people to firmly step on the journey of development, integration and affirming their position in the new era.

THUY PHUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/an-tuong-chuong-trinh-nghe-thuat-mua-roi-dac-biet-chao-mung-quoc-khanh-29-post905284.html