Part 2: Preserving the art of Khuoc village's rowing

With those who keep the “fire” of Cheo like People’s Artist Bui Van Ro and many other artisans and amateur actors, in Phong Chau commune (Dong Hung), the preservation of the art in the ancient Cheo village is increasingly attracting the active participation of people from all walks of life. From there, practically turning this place into an unmissable cultural destination for tourists from near and far.

The Cheo Club of Khuoc Tay village, Phong Chau commune (Dong Hung) performed at the mass art festival of typical cultural villages and residential groups.

Promoting the preservation of the art of Cheo

Coming to Khuoc village, Phong Chau commune today, joining any performance, most of the audience are impressed because it seems that every generation of the village, from students still wearing red scarves to the elderly, are passionate about performing Cheo. In recent years, the province's young artistic talent competitions have recorded many contestants coming from this ancient Cheo cradle. That is the result of the efforts of the Party Committee, local authorities and functional agencies to preserve Khuoc village Cheo. Realizing the importance and urgency of preserving and promoting the ancient Cheo values that our ancestors left behind, the local Party Committee has issued resolutions to consolidate and perfect the Cheo Club's management board. The Cheo Club of the commune and villages are given all favorable conditions to organize training, performance and talent development activities as well as build dossiers to propose recognition as People's Artists and Meritorious Artists...

The system of cultural institutions in the commune is increasingly invested in and improved, not only as a place for clubs to practice but also as a place where Cheo artists can teach and spread the love of Cheo art to people and tourists.

Mr. Ha Quang Cuong, Secretary of Phong Chau Commune Party Committee, shared: One of the special cultural institutions in the commune that has been supported by the province to invest in and build and the local people have joined hands to preserve since 2015 is the Cheo ancestral temple. Currently, the Commune People's Committee has assigned the management to the Cheo club of the commune. This is also the place where the Cheo art class is held by Ms. Cao Thi Bac, a member of the commune's Cheo club. The Cheo ancestral temple often welcomes art troupes, film crews as well as Cheo artists, actors, and musicians from inside and outside the province.

In addition, in 2018, Phong Chau commune invested in building a new cultural house with 250 seats, a 100m2 stage with a full sound and lighting system for meetings, practice, and art performances. Each year, there are about 20 art programs staged and performed by the commune's Cheo Club at the commune's cultural house. Paying attention to perfecting the system of grassroots cultural institutions, the commune has also invested in building a new village cultural house with 150 seats, indoor and outdoor stages; repairing and upgrading 3 cultural houses in the remaining villages. In addition, Phong Chau commune's Cheo theater is a place that regularly welcomes delegations to visit and learn about ancient Cheo, a place where the commune's Cheo Club performs and exchanges with Cheo clubs inside and outside the district, professional art troupes, etc.

Artists of Khuoc Cheo village perform excerpts.

Find the next generation of ancient rowing

Although the art of Cheo is increasingly being restored and preserved, there are still many difficulties. Phong Chau commune is a purely agricultural locality, the majority of local people and children are working in companies and going to school, so they have little time to practice Cheo singing. Besides, training the next generation to have solid expertise and passion for Cheo is also a difficult problem. Therefore, currently, members of the Phong Chau commune Cheo Club are making efforts to bring Cheo art closer to the younger generation, finding typical talents to pass on the profession. Besides, the Club also actively participates in performances in many localities inside and outside the province to contribute to promoting the art of Cheo Khuoc.

Phong Chau Commune Party Secretary Ha Quang Cuong added: In addition to organizing performances to promote the art of Cheo Khuoc, teaching Cheo to the younger generation is also emphasized. In 2020, Phong Chau Commune received a project to preserve and promote the value of ancient Cheo in Khuoc village from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. With the support of the project, the commune's Cheo Club was provided with musical instruments, performance costumes, and especially opened a class for 20 students. Following the direction of the local Party Committee and government, schools have also actively included Cheo art in the art programs of teachers and students. In the school, there are teachers who teach singing and dancing Cheo to students, and the students perform singing and dancing Cheo right on the schoolyard. During the summer, many students attend Ms. Cao Thi Bac's class at the Cheo ancestral temple. Currently, there are 12 students who regularly participate in singing and performing Cheo excerpts with artists in performance programs.

Phong Chau commune has proposed many solutions to continue preserving the art of Cheo such as recording and collecting documents on the history and origin of Cheo singing; lyrics, melodies, expressions... to serve the research and preservation of Cheo art; consolidating and perfecting the commune's Cheo club, the village's art clubs and organizations; continuing to maintain and improve the quality of teaching Cheo singing and dancing in schools; organizing courses, classes and educational activities on Cheo singing to impart knowledge and skills to the younger generation... With the close attention of the local government and the consensus of all classes of people, the locality is determined to preserve and promote the value of Cheo art so that Khuoc Cheo village is not only the pride of Thai Binh people but also a destination for experiential tourism for visitors from near and far.