When the ferryman turns into an artist

Performing in the unique art program of the opening night of the 2nd Ninh Binh - Trang An Festival in 2023, there will be the participation of more than 300 boatmen in Trang An Eco-tourism Area.

Over 50 years old, having been rowing boats at Trang An wharf for more than ten years, for Ms. Tran Thi Khuyen, this is not only a job to earn a living but also a commitment, love and pride. For many days now, like more than 300 other rowers, Ms. Khuyen has been selected to participate in the performance rehearsal for the art night at the Festival's opening ceremony. Ninh Binh - Trang An II upcoming.

Temporarily putting aside her job as a boat rower means no income during practice days, but for Ms. Khuyen, she still feels very happy, with a little bit of excitement when thinking about the first time standing on a big stage, performing in front of thousands of spectators.

Still the conical hat - a familiar tool for workers, but today, for Ms. Khuyen, the conical hat becomes a special partner in soft, graceful dance movements. "This is the first time I have practiced dancing. In the early days of practice, my hands and feet were still clumsy and awkward. But with the encouragement of the choreographer and more importantly, knowing that this is an opportunity to contribute to promoting the heritage of our homeland to a large number of tourists, we are even more diligent and focused to complete the exercise well. This is also a way for me to repay the place that has brought food and clothes to my family" - Ms. Khuyen happily said.

Although it is winter, the sun is still shining brightly these days. Taking advantage of this beautiful weather, the amateur actors practice very enthusiastically. Trang An is therefore more bustling and cheerful. Ms. Pham Thi Dinh, over 40 years old, also tries to arrange her housework to join the team in practicing. Taking advantage of the break, Ms. Dinh confided about her job: the happiest thing for boat rowers like us is that there are always many customers so we don't have to worry about unemployment.

Only when there are many passengers can there be many trips, and more income to take care of the family. As a ferryman, during the festival season when there are many passengers, a person can row 4-5 trips a day. When there are few passengers and no work, the ferryman has no income while at home there are hundreds of things to worry about... I, like many other ferrymen, really want to contribute to promoting heritage so that more tourists can know and come to our homeland. Only then can the ferryman have more hope for a stable life from his job as a ferryman.

Trang An wharf currently has over 2,000 people working as ferrymen for tourists, the drivers are between 40 and 60 years old. Previously, the ferrymen were mainly aged 50 and above, because young people went to work in industrial zones to have more stable jobs. In recent years, the ferrymen have become younger, many young people choose to be ferrymen because their income has improved a lot. The love for the heritage site has therefore become even more steadfast and attached. Therefore, when selected and recruited to practice performing arts in preparation for the opening night of the 2nd Ninh Binh-Trang An Festival, everyone was excited, enthusiastic, and ready to temporarily put aside their ferry work to practice.

As an experienced person with many unique artistic ideas, Meritorious Artist Hoang Thanh was trusted and assigned to choreograph the Art Program for the opening night of the Ninh Binh-Trang An Festival in 2023. Meritorious Artist Hoang Thanh said: To have a successful and impressive performance, we have been practicing hard for many days. On the live stage, these special actors will tell stories about life - work - activities, about love, about responsibility for heritage; about the connection between people and nature in the rich cultural sediments of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, now the Trang An Heritage.

Although the boatmen selected to perform on the opening night have never been on a big stage, I believe that they will shine in the art program - where many professional artists and actors gather because of their sincerity, naturalness and radiant beauty of the workers; the beauty, hospitality and character of the people of the Ancient Capital. This is also the most effective way to spread community culture - the core element in preserving and promoting the value of Trang An Heritage.

Expressing great interest in witnessing the boatmen’s training session, Mr. Ta Van Binh (living in Nam Dinh) said: I am a native of Ninh Binh but have lived and worked in Nam Dinh since I was young. When I retire, I often spend time visiting and learning about the places, cultural and historical relics of my hometown.

I will try to arrange my work to return to Ninh Binh to enjoy the opening night of the upcoming Ninh Binh-Trang An Festival. Not only are there special art performances, but also cultural stories from many places in our country. I look forward to discovering those interesting things.

The opening night of the Ninh Binh-Trang An Festival 2023 has the theme "Heritage Colors - Convergence and Spread". This is a cultural event worth looking forward to. The program will gather all the cultural colors from many regions and areas along the length of the country. Each locality will have a way to tell the story of the cultural quintessence of its homeland through the most unique art performances.

Also according to Meritorious Artist Hoang Thanh, the music of the show is refined. Contemporary dance art is exploited to the maximum based on folk cultural materials along with unique staging techniques such as: creating the shape of 200 long boats running around the Sao Khe River, light-weight performances running on water, calligraphy through dance art... Hopefully, the opening night of the 2nd Ninh Binh - Trang An Festival in 2023 will leave a deep impression on visitors.

Dao Hang - Minh Quang

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