Cultural ambassadors

Artists from Hoi An participate in a cultural exchange in South Korea. Photo: Hoi An Cultural Center.

The artists of the Hoi An Traditional Performing Arts House (part of the Hoi An Cultural and Information Center - established in 1996) continue to diligently pursue connections that transcend national borders.

Taking on multiple roles

With her strong foreign language skills, Thu Ly joined the Hoi An City Cultural and Information Center as a presenter for festival programs in both Vietnamese and English. She also teaches folk singing to students in Hoi An's high schools. Thu Ly can also perform folk songs and dances, including Bài Chòi (a traditional Vietnamese folk game). She has become a regular collaborator with the Traditional Performing Arts Center and has been selected to tour abroad.

Thu Ly said: “Due to various circumstances, overseas tours often limit the number of members. To ensure the program's duration, each performer has to take on multiple roles, from singing folk songs and traditional theater to dancing.”

Each performer usually has to wear multiple costumes at once. After each performance, they quickly change outfits and continue performing. The audience below thought that the Hoi An troupe had a large number of performers. "They were also really surprised and impressed to learn that the Vietnamese troupe had so few performers yet could put on such a flawless show," Thu Ly shared.

As a native of Duy Xuyen, Nguyen Quang Nam has been fascinated by the bamboo flute since childhood. He often sought out elderly people to watch them play traditional musical instruments, then returned home to practice playing the flute on his own. Later, he frequently accompanied the zither artist Duong Tan Sanh to Hoi An to perform at festivals.

When Hoi An established the Traditional Performing Arts Center, Nguyen Quang Nam was selected to join the band. From then on, he was determined to find teachers to learn more about music theory and meter, and how to play the Hmong flute, saranai horn, and bầu lute.

Thanks to his versatile musical instrument skills, Nguyen Quang Nam is a frequent choice for the performing arts group's overseas tours, alongside colleagues such as Minh Nhanh, Thu Ly, Thanh Tuan, Kieu Trang, and Dinh Ngoc.

“Being chosen to tour abroad for the first time made me both proud and anxious, because I felt immense personal pressure. But then, after months of hard training, my confidence gradually increased. Thanks to my existing foundation, I was able to switch between different instruments in each performance,” said Nguyen Quang Nam.

Sing in your native language.

Mr. Vo Phung, former Director of the Center for Culture, Arts and Information, is considered the "manager" of the Hoi An Traditional Performing Arts House's overseas tours. Driven by the affection of those who love traditional culture, Hoi An artists had their first performance in the Francophone community, held in Hong Kong.

A performance of Bài Chòi folk singing by the Hoi An Traditional Performing Arts Center. Photo: Hoi An Cultural and Arts Center.

Not only did they bring their own cultural identity to the host country, but at Mr. Vo Phung's suggestion, the Hoi An artists' troupe also made an effort to practice more folk songs from the host country to perform, creating a better effect on the audience.
The artists have rearranged foreign folk songs, recording them as background beats for performances, such as the Korean song "Arirang" or the Hungarian song "A Csitári Hegyek Alatt," as well as many folk songs from other countries.

Following their first overseas tour to Hong Kong, the Hoi An Traditional Performing Arts Troupe received sponsorships and invitations to perform in many countries around the world , including Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand.

Mr. Vo Phung said that the most fortunate and memorable thing for him and the artists was the dedicated support of the embassy and Vietnamese expatriates in other countries.

"It was these acts of love and support that motivated us to create more polished and unique performances to serve our audience. The greatest happiness that remains with us to this day is the love and enthusiastic support we received from the audience attending the show in the host countries," Mr. Vo Phung added.

Mr. Nguyen Van Lanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoi An City, shared that through overseas performances, members of the Performing Arts House have gained experience in program development and performance organization, and connected with many international friends. They have successfully brought the image and beauty of Vietnamese culture, as well as the culture of Quang Nam province, to foreign audiences.

“The traditional performing arts troupe has performed almost everywhere in Vietnam and has been invited to perform in Japan, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, South Korea, Italy, Hungary, Germany… This is a way to express and introduce many typical and unique forms of folk art from Hoi An to friends near and far, thereby showcasing the creativity and outstanding cultural heritage of the Hoi An community,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Lanh.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nhung-su-gia-van-hoa-3145377.html