Ninh Binh Street Art Parade - a beautiful mark at the Experimental Theater Festival

(NLDO) - Ninh Binh is not only a space of heritage, but also a space of contemporary creativity.

Polish artists perform street dance at the 2025 art parade in Ninh Binh

On November 20, at the Pham Thi Tran Theater (Ninh Binh), the street art parade and performance within the framework of the 6th International Experimental Theater Festival - 2025 took place in a vibrant, impressive and emotional atmosphere. Not just a mere opening activity, the program has become a visual cultural highlight, where modern theater art meets folk, traditional and international values ​​in an open, lively and interactive space with the public.

Artists of Thang Long Water Puppetry Theatre

When the stage steps out into the streets

Unlike the usual opening programs on the stage, this parade was organized in the form of street performances, with the participation of many art groups from domestic and international units. The road in front of Pham Thi Tran Theater became an "open stage", where art is no longer limited by physical boundaries, but blends into the heritage space of the ancient capital Hoa Lu.

The special thing is that the parade is not only a performance but also an "experimental theatrical declaration": bringing the stage closer to the public, breaking the distance between artists and audiences, between the performance center and living space. People's Artist Lan Huong said: "It was so lively and brilliant, the audience had a street party with high-class art, a meaningful gift to welcome the festival".

From left to right: People's Artist Lan Huong, Minh Hoa, Thu Ha, Le Chuc at the 2025 art parade - Ninh Binh

Also attending were: People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui - President of Vietnam Stage Artists Association, People's Artist Thu Ha, People's Artist Lan Huong (flower), People's Artist Tam Chinh, People's Artist Le Chuc, People's Artist Vu Ngoan Hop, author Nguyen Toan Thang, Minh Nguyet...

Harmony of traditional - contemporary - international theater

The parade attracts a large number of people and tourists and is organized according to the concept of connecting cultural layers: traditional - folk - contemporary - international, creating a unified but diverse artistic flow.

The opening was a bustling atmosphere with lion dances, dragon dances and drums performed by Ninh Binh folk art troupes. These were not only performances that brought the colors of spring, but also a way to introduce local identity in the international festival space - a clever way to bring the "soul of the land" into the breath of the big event.

Actors of the Hanoi Trieu Khuc Art Troupe at the 2025 street art parade - Ninh Binh

Next was the special appearance of the folk artists with the dance "Con dy danh bong" - a national intangible cultural heritage, performed by artists from Trieu Khuc village (Hanoi). The image of boys dressed as girls, wearing bong drums, dancing to traditional music not only brings interesting visual elements, but also emphasizes the depth of history and culture, from the time of Phung Hung to today.

The dance tells the story of young men who disguised themselves as soldiers to fight the enemy. Thanks to their intelligence, the righteous men surrounded and defeated the Tang army in the 8th century.

In the intermediate layer between tradition and modernity, the performances of the Vietnam Circus Federation, Thang Long Puppetry Theatre, Hai Phong Traditional Stage Theatre and Sen Viet Art Troupe brought the vibrant colors of contemporary performing arts based on folk materials such as water puppetry, dry puppetry, belly puppetry, circus juggling, etc.

This is how traditional art is "experimentalized", brought into new performance spaces while still retaining its core soul.

Artists of the Vietnam Circus Federation at the 2025 street art parade - Ninh Binh

On the international side, the participation of the Mongolian Creative Research Theatre with a performance of national costumes, or a street art troupe from Poland with a stilt performance, expanded the festival space, creating a lively intercultural dialogue.

Parade as a cultural message

Not only stopping at the performance element, the parade is also a strong message that: the stage does not only exist in the theater space, but must step out into life, integrate into the community, and touch the public in close and open forms.

Through each parade block – from international artists to Vietnamese art troupes – the audience can clearly feel the spirit of exchange, connection and sharing that the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival aims for: not only to search for new languages ​​of the stage, but also to create a meeting space between different performing cultures.

From left to right: Author Nguyen Toan Thang, People's Artist Lan Huong, People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui - President of Vietnam Stage Artists Association and People's Artist Tam Chinh at the 2025 street art parade - Ninh Binh

Choosing Ninh Binh as the parade stop was a meaningful decision. On the land of the ancient capital Hoa Lu, where the depth of history, nature and culture converge, the footsteps of the artist group stirred the ancient space with a new rhythm: the rhythm of experimental theater, of creativity and international integration.

The parade on November 20th welcomed an art festival and opened a new image: Ninh Binh created a beautiful impression with the space of cultural heritage blending into the space of contemporary creativity.

Parade as a cultural message

The parade is also a strong message that: the stage does not only exist in the theater space, but must step out into life, integrate into the community, and touch the public in close and open forms. Participating in the street parade are also international artist groups: Poland, Mongolia, Philippines... They brought many unique singing and dancing performances, strengthening the cultural and artistic exchange between Vietnam and the world in the process of promoting the development of the cultural industry in Vietnam.

Below are some pictures of the street art parade in Ninh Binh:

Brass band of artisans from Ninh Binh province

Polish artists at the 2025 Art Parade - Ninh Binh

Drum block dancing at the 2025 street art parade - Ninh Binh

Artists of the Mongolian Creative Research Theatre

Polish artists perform at the 2025 street art parade - Ninh Binh

Artists of the Hanoi Trieu Khuc Troupe

Source: https://nld.com.vn/le-dieu-hanh-nghe-thuat-duong-pho-ninh-binh-dau-an-dep-tai-festival-san-khau-thu-nghiem-196251121071029802.htm