Circle dance, where community spirit is lit up
The Ha Nhi people live scattered in many northern border provinces but are most concentrated in three areas: Lai Chau, Dien Bien , Lao Cai; including three groups: Co Cho, La Mi, and Black Ha Nhi. Each group has somewhat different costumes and customs, but they all share a vibrant culture, which is a passion for dancing and singing and honoring the beauty of labor and community through simple but attractive body language.
Living in the high mountains, near the border, the Ha Nhi people are less affected by outside cultural flows. It is this "natural isolation" that has become the condition for Ha Nhi folk arts to maintain their pristine, pure beauty. Folk melodies, drum and gong sounds, or the way of setting the rhythm for a xoè dance circle all contain the thinking, spirit, and aesthetics of a nation that, although it has no written language, has an admirable ability to preserve its heritage. For the Ha Nhi people, dance is not just a performance, but a continuation of life, a happy day for the village, a breath among the corn fields, rice fields, a heartfelt message to the ancestors during the harvest festivals, New Year celebrations, or weddings. With only a bright moon, a quiet space, and the urging sound of drums, the dance naturally appears as a way for the community to call each other home, hold hands, and tell each other stories of the mountains.
The Ha Nhi folk dances are very rich. From the weaving dance (xa la ru) imitating the meticulous hands of women working on the loom; the production dance (te ma ú cha kho to) recreating the figure of people going to the fields, the sound of hoes; to the conical hat dance, the moon-watching dance, the beautiful day dance (á mi sư) full of everyday life. Each dance is a slice of culture and lifestyle, gentle but profound. But the most special, most beautiful, and most crowded is still the xoe dance (cá nhi nhi), the "soul" of the Ha Nhi people every time the village celebrates a festival.
In the Ha Nhi cultural treasure, xoe dance holds a special place. If the sound of the Mong people's flute is like the throbbing of the mountains, the sound of the Thai people's gongs and drums is the beat of the heart, then the Ha Nhi xoe dance is the warm fire, the connection of many generations from the days when the village was still poor until life changed. The space for xoe performance is often open: the dirt yard in front of the house, the open space in the middle of the village, sometimes the porch of a newly built house or in front of the festival hall. As soon as someone starts singing, the sound of the drums sounds, everyone from old to young, men and women will gather together, holding hands to form a large circle. The invisible thread connecting each hand is like the whole village breathing together.
Village elder Ly Gia Xe, a Ha Nhi ethnic, residing in Lao Chai village, Trinh Tuong commune, Lao Cai province, said that the Ha Nhi xoe dance does not have elaborate movements. The beauty of the xoe dance lies in the harmony, uniformity, and flexibility of the feet and hands. When the xoe dance circle spreads, each rhythmic step, each shoulder tilt, each soft hand movement creates a strangely beautiful collective picture. That is the beauty of the community, of the spirit of solidarity, of the belief that all good things start from reunion. The hand movements in the xoe dance are often soft like spring water, sometimes they open wide as if they want to embrace the sky and earth, sometimes they gently draw in towards the chest, where the Ha Nhi people's hearts always turn to their ancestors. Sometimes the xoe dance circle is slow like a peaceful life, sometimes it is fast and bustling like the season of Ban flowers blooming throughout the forest. The strange thing is that even though the rhythm changes, even though there are so many participants that the circle stretches for dozens of meters, the uniformity is still maintained, an artistic discipline formed from empathy, not from any coercion.
What fascinates cultural researchers when studying Ha Nhi dance is that each dance is associated with labor and festivals, two important pillars of life. The weaving dance reminds us of the traditional profession of Ha Nhi women. In each movement of tilting the shoulders, standing on tiptoes, and turning the wrists as lightly as the wind, we can see the dexterity, patience, and pride in the costume that is always considered the "identity" of their people. The production dance is imbued with the breath of the mountains and forests. Movements simulating plowing on the fields, the sound of hoes, the posture of carrying firewood, and the posture of winnowing rice are vividly incorporated into the dance. When the whole village dances this dance together during the harvest celebration, the scene is like a giant painting expressing unity and the wish for a full year. In addition, the conical hat dance, the moon dance, or the beautiful day dance all exude the spirit of joy. Their beauty sometimes lies in the slight tilt of the conical hat, the rotation to catch the moonlight, or the movement of opening the arms to welcome the spring sunshine. These simple things make up the soul of the art of Ha Nhi dance, an art that does not need a big stage, does not need bright lights, just a heart that loves life is enough.
Keeping the artistic fire burning in the fence
Nowadays, the art of Xoe Ha Nhi dance still maintains its tenacious vitality like the sa mu tree growing on the mountain slope. However, to keep that “fire” burning brightly in life, it needs many hearts that are silently nurturing it day by day. Not only the village elders and artisans - the “living treasures” of the village, but also the contribution of local authorities, cultural organizations, and especially the Border Guard soldiers who always stand side by side with their compatriots on the front line of the Fatherland.
In many border communes of Lai Chau , Dien Bien, Lao Cai, the Ha Nhi mass art troupes have become "incubators" of heritage. Every evening after the harvest, the sound of leaf flutes and gongs calls the children in the village to gather. Under the communal roof, the women patiently guide the hand and foot movements; the older men meticulously show the young how to keep the rhythm, how to step around evenly and beautifully. Practice sessions are sometimes only lit by a dim oil lamp, but the laughter still resonates warmly. For the Ha Nhi people, teaching dance is not only teaching techniques, but also giving each other the mountains and forests, the past and national pride.
It is impossible not to mention the mark of the Border Guard, who are affectionately called by the locals as "border marker soldiers". In addition to the task of patrolling and protecting the border, they are also deeply attached to the cultural life of the villages. Many Border Guard stations have coordinated with local authorities to organize border cultural festivals, restore traditional festivals, support people with costumes and performance props, and even participate in composing new lyrics for ancient folk songs to suit today's life. The image of soldiers in green uniforms coming down to the village to practice dancing with the people after their duty hours, and lifting the xoe hoops together in the campfire night... has become a beautiful image, passed down by the Ha Nhi people in the stories of the farming season.
Ms. Pham Thi Bich, a tourist from Hanoi, said: "We came to the Ha Nhi ethnic people not only to see the golden terraced fields, not only to enjoy the aroma of wine made from wild yeast, but also to immerse ourselves in the xoe dance, to feel the sincerity, simplicity and joy of life of the people. Each expanded xoe dance is an opportunity for indigenous culture to spread."
In that journey, the art of Xoe dance has gone beyond the role of a heritage, becoming a link between generations, a means for the Ha Nhi people to tell their stories in the language of the highlands; a bridge connecting people far away with their roots and also a way for the border to be preserved with the warmth and persistence of a rich spiritual life.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/giu-lua-vong-xoe-cua-dan-toc-ha-nhi-post887605.html
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