How to make Tuong sustainable with young people?
Tuong is beautiful, interesting, colorful, but why are there few stages for this art form and many young people do not know the value of this art form? I have searched for the answer and have a common opinion: Because they have never seen it, they do not know the beauty of Tuong, not because they are indifferent. We do not do strong communication for Tuong but the performance is still subsidized, in the old way, performed according to the "process". That makes this unique art form lack connection with young people.
Actor Tran Tuan Hiep of the Vietnam Tuong Theater shared: “Young people have not been exposed to Tuong, have not studied it deeply, but only through the stories of the previous generation. They think Tuong is difficult to watch, difficult to understand, but that is the common understanding of everyone. When young people come to Tuong, watch the artists perform, they exclaim: “Tuong is so beautiful, so good, but for so long young people have not paid attention”. This art form is not difficult to watch, but the way we approach it is indifferent due to both sides. Furthermore, young people now have too many types of entertainment to choose from. I hope young people learn about traditional Vietnamese art because I know they love their country and the cultural values of their ancestors. Young people are ambassadors to spread national culture”.
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Artist Danh Thai admitted that: "Tuong has not been widely approached by audiences, there are few performances of the art form. If you study carefully and watch Tuong, you will see the beauty of Tuong and fall in love with it."
Meritorious Artist Tong Xuan Tung believes that there are no barriers, but that young people do not have many opportunities to approach and pay attention to it. If young people are interested, they will love this traditional art form that has gradually gained attention again in recent years.
There are groups of young people who are actively working to spread Tuong to Gen Z, such as the Tuong Sac group of high school students or Tuong Di group of Dai Nam University students. These groups all want their projects to develop sustainably, long-term, and non-profitably to bring more opportunities for Tuong to young people.
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Opinions from the above groups suggest that, in order for Tuong to be sustainable with young people, it is necessary to change the approach to make it closer and more suitable to modern lifestyles. Bringing Tuong art into theeducational environment, combining it with digital technology, creating a creative playground and encouraging young people to participate in performances and research will help increase engagement.
At the same time, raising awareness of traditional cultural values and evoking national pride are key factors to prevent Tuong art from fading away over time. From practical activities such as mask painting workshops, exhibitions, conversations between artists and Gen Z, performances of excerpts... That will help young people, especially children, experience directly and deeply feel the value of traditional art.
Ha Chi Manh, a high school student in the Tuong Sac project, expressed his concern if there is no connection between media art and young people: “If young people are not interested, Tuong will easily become a forgotten heritage, no longer passed on and developed. Tuong art will gradually lose its vitality, the stage will shrink, the number of practitioners will decrease, leading to the risk of complete oblivion. This not only causes the loss of an important part of national culture but also causes the next generation to lack connection with the roots of traditional art.”
Manh also said that the Tuong Sac group attracts young people by renewing traditional Tuong art through interactive activities such as mask painting workshops and exhibitions introducing costumes, masks and unique cultural values. The project not only helps young people directly access the art but also arouses curiosity and pride in national heritage. Through that, Tuong becomes a lively and meaningful part of the modern life of young people.
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Efforts to bring Tuong to the public
In the context of the explosion of modern forms of entertainment, Tuong has gradually been withdrawn from daily life and become unfamiliar to young audiences. Faced with this situation, many artists, theater units and content creation groups have made constant efforts to preserve the art of Tuong.
Many young artists choose to stick with Tuong for a long time, despite their limited career conditions. For example, actress Thanh Phuong of the Vietnam Tuong Theater has worked as a DJ to "keep the fire burning" for the art of Tuong, showing the perseverance and adaptability of young actors.
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In addition, there are school theater education programs demonstrated through the exchange model between the Vietnam Tuong Theater and students. And especially, Tuong art has been digitized through the Truong Ca Kich Vien project, or experiments combining Tuong with electronic music and contemporary dance such as "Doi Fac Voi Vo Cui".
Thu Uyen, Head of the Tuong Di Group, believes that when properly understood and renewed, Tuong will never become outdated. “Tradition and media must rely on each other, one side is classical, the other side is modern. However, if we look deeper, both originate from the same vein, which is the desire to spread meaningful things. Especially with the art of Tuong, a traditional form of theater, when meeting the media, it has opened up new possibilities, helping Tuong approach today's era,” Thu Uyen shared.
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Tuong art is imbued with narrative and oriental aesthetics when taking convention and stylization as the basic criteria of performing arts. Tuong works often focus on the themes of loyalty to the king, patriotism, heroic spirit and family affection. However, with the characteristic of telling big stories, especially extremely dry historical stories, Tuong finds it difficult to compete with other entertainment arts.
Therefore, thanks to the media in promoting the value of Tuong art on platforms such as Tiktok, Youtube, ... Tuong has been breathed new life. The creations of young people such as the play "Son Hau - Beyond the mountain", the play "Coi thinh khong", the play "Doi dien voi cuc", ... or film projects, painting exhibitions inspired by Tuong. All of that has brought traditional Tuong closer to modern life.
“The media does not obscure traditional features but is a companion, opening the door for Tuong art to continue to live in the cultural flow of the times and, most of all, reach many audiences in the digital age,” affirmed Yen Linh, communications manager of the Vietnam Tuong Theater.
After watching Tuong, Thanh Tam confided: “As a student majoring in Literature Education, I have learned about Tuong and learned that in ancient times, this was an art form reserved for the aristocracy. Many people think that makes Tuong difficult to access, but for me, this is not a barrier. When I come to watch it live, I not only enjoy the beauty of the national cultural identity but also clearly feel the talent, passion and dedication of the artists. I hope that Tuong will become more and more known, especially among the young.
Nowadays, in addition to going to the theater, young people can also learn about Tuong through Youtube, or even through textbooks when some Tuong plays have been included in the current literature program. In addition, as a future teacher, I hope to have the opportunity to bring Tuong closer to students by letting them transform into characters, thereby understanding and feeling more fully the spirit of traditional art."
Ngoc Thuy shared: “I invited a group of friends to go see it. At first, they asked: “Why do people at this age go to see Tuong? Only my grandparents watch this”. But after watching it, everyone was surprised and excited. Perhaps due to initial prejudice, many young people think Tuong is something far away. But if there is a suitable approach and more effective communication, I believe Tuong can completely reach many young audiences. And I am willing to become someone who spreads the love for Tuong to everyone. I hope that more young people will be interested so that these art forms can have a worthy position in modern cultural life”.
Han Thi Loi, Faculty of Pedagogy, Hanoi Capital University: “Before, I never thought that Tuong was an art form suitable for me. I always assumed that Tuong was for the older generation. But today, the first time I saw a performance, I felt that my imagination was far from reality. Everything was very impressive, from the acting to the costumes of the actors.”
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/thap-ngon-lua-tuong-trong-long-gioi-tre-post553301.html
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