The unique Ha Quang Bac rowing team

Established nearly 30 years ago, the Ha Quang Bac traditional opera troupe (Dien Ban Dong ward) has continued the tradition of Vietnamese opera and contributed to spreading the beauty of culture and spirituality to the community of Quang Nam province.

The all-female rowing team performing at the fishing festival of Dien Ban Dong ward. Photo: VINH LOC

Women's traditional dance team

The Ha Quang Bac rowing team usually has 13-15 members; besides the main leader, the assistant leader, and a helmsman (singing and coordinating), all the rowers (dancers) are women.

Mr. Dang Hung Thuy (born in 1946), former captain of the Ba Trao folk opera troupe in Ha Quang Bac neighborhood, recalls the early days of its establishment. Around the year 2000, when the traditional opera movement was no longer popular and gradually disbanded, Mr. Thuy and a few others established the village's Ba Trao folk opera troupe. After many years of difficulty finding male "trạo" performers, in 2010, Mr. Thuy called on women in the village to join in singing Ba Trao folk opera.

Besides singing and dancing at annual fishing festivals and village temple ceremonies, the main activity of the Ha Quang Bac traditional boat rowing troupe is performing at funerals and memorial services. Depending on the occasion, the troupe has songs and melodies suitable for funerals, such as songs for the deceased, songs for village temple ceremonies, and songs for fishing prayers accompanied by rowing movements. Most of the lyrics are composed by Mr. Dang Hung Thuy, based on ancient melodies adapted to the new context. Specifically, the fishing prayer songs must have lively melodies, while the funeral songs are mournful and sorrowful, evoking deep emotions in the listeners.

According to Ms. Ngo Thi Bon, a member of the team, the advantage of women participating in the traditional Vietnamese boat rowing dance is the gentleness in each movement. "It looks easy, but it's not simple because it requires synchronization of the body. The hands move and the feet move in rhythm, so compared to men, women's boat rowing dances are more graceful and beautiful," Ms. Bon explained.

Mrs. Bon has been a member of the rowing troupe for over 20 years, seemingly every year accompanying the group to perform at fishing festivals and funeral rites throughout the city's communes and wards, from Hoa Khanh and My Khe to Hoi An, Tam Ky, and Nui Thanh... Depending on the distance, Mrs. Bon and the other troupe members receive a few hundred thousand dong for each trip, but everyone is happy.

"Actually, I perform because of my heart and passion, not to earn a living; that wouldn't bring in much money," said Mrs. Bon. At 57, Mrs. Bon still works as a factory worker, but whenever there's a performance, she immediately asks for time off to join the dance troupe.

Elevating tourism

Ba Trao singing and dancing is a form of folk performance that has existed for hundreds of years in many coastal areas of Central Vietnam. In Da Nang , Ba Trao is famous for its chanting, chanting, and performance pieces such as Am Linh Ba Trao Ca, Long Than Ba ​​Trao Ca… with mostly male participants.

Therefore, the emergence and existence of the Ha Quang Bac women's traditional boat rowing troupe for nearly 30 years has become a unique feature, because traditionally, singing and dancing the traditional boat rowing was considered a man's job, and even in some spiritual rituals, women were not allowed to appear before the altar.

According to Ms. Pham Thi Chin (born in 1956), a member of the Ha Quang Bac traditional opera troupe, women's advantages, besides their agility and dexterity, also include their outstanding physique and beautiful faces when made up. Both Mr. Dang Hung Thuy and Ms. Pham Thi Chin originated from the Dien Duong (formerly) commune's traditional opera troupe. They were deeply concerned about the decline of traditional opera and decided to establish a traditional opera troupe as a way to preserve this ancient art form of their ancestors.

“When I discussed establishing the local folk singing troupe with Mr. Dang Hung Thuy, I only thought of it as a temporary activity to preserve the movement and traditions of our hometown, but I never expected the troupe to survive until now,” Ms. Chin shared. She joined the troupe as the lead singer, performing alongside the main singer. She is also one of the rare female voices in folk singing troupes in the city.

According to a representative from the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Dien Ban Dong ward, most members of the traditional folk opera troupe are currently elderly, making it difficult to find young people to join. To preserve and promote the potential of the Ha Quang Bac folk opera troupe, the local authorities propose organizing training courses to improve performance skills and enhance the artistic quality of the troupe. Simultaneously, they suggest developing the troupe into a tourism product to be offered at destinations within and outside the local area.

“We have seen many traditional art forms such as Bài Chòi, Cham dance, and Tuồng opera being incorporated into tourism. I think Bả Trạo singing and dancing will also have opportunities, so the locality will strengthen its efforts to promote and introduce this art form, especially since Bả Trạo has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Dien Ban Dong Ward.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/doc-dao-doi-cheo-ba-trao-ha-quang-bac-3326583.html