Spring day dragon dance story

In Hanoi, it is easy to see skillful dragon dances on the streets. Dragons appear in almost all important events, holidays, and festivals of the capital...

Dragon dance appears in almost all important events and major holidays in the capital.

For the past few months, at around 4:30 pm, the training ground of the Tuong Nghia Duong lion and dragon dance troupe (Chuong My district, Hanoi) has been bustling with the sound of drums. Dozens of young people from the troupe gather in the communal house yard to practice dragon dances together. Spring is here, and the troupe members are practicing hard to have special performances to serve the people.

Master Bui Viet Tuong, Head of the Tuong Nghia Duong Lion Dance Troupe, said that dragon dance and lion dance require a harmonious combination of drum and cymbal sounds, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, and the performers' movements. The rhythm is the catalyst that creates the spirit and majesty of the dragon, helping the performance to be successful.

With 15 years of performing experience, martial artist Bui Viet Tuong said that anyone can participate in dragon dancing, but to dance well and beautifully is very difficult. People directly participating in dragon dancing must have endurance, be excited, and focus on the tasks of each position. Ten people as one, all must coordinate smoothly to bring out the spirit of the dragon and the characteristics of each performance. In addition, in the roles, the person dancing the dragon head must have the most skillful dancing techniques and be in good health because the dragon head is often heavier and more difficult to control than other parts.

Thang Long is the cradle of dragon dance. For Hanoi - "the city of flying dragons", the image of dragons is even more familiar and familiar. Looking back at history, dragon dances were mentioned by our ancestors very early, and until now, this type of dance is still popular in many regions, especially in Son Tay town or Trieu Khuc village (Thanh Tri district)... Many villages on the occasion of festivals and holidays also organize dragon dance competitions with dragons paying homage, dragons circling, dragons flying, dragons winding..., creating a joyful atmosphere for traditional festivals, conveying wishes for a year of bountiful harvests, prosperity. In particular, in Vietnam, dragons are associated with wet rice agriculture and are considered to be totems associated with the legend of "dragon's children, fairy's grandchildren".

Talking about the skills to have a special dragon dance performance, martial artist Nguyen Van Thuc - Head of Nga My Thuong Lion Dance Club (Thanh Oai district, Hanoi) said that if lion dance requires a lot of technique, dragon dance also requires solidarity and understanding between the team. To have smooth performances, martial artists must practice regularly to "catch" each other's ideas. Therefore, martial artist Thuc requires the Club to meet regularly 3 times/week. Young people aged 14 - 25, if they have a need, can join the Club for free. Because it is a difficult subject, at first, martial artists will only practice simple music perception skills, learn to play drums, and then start practicing dragon control techniques.

According to martial artist Nguyen Van Thuc, when performing dragon dance, there are some unwritten taboos that need to be followed. For example, the dragon in Vietnam is the mascot of rain-making, creating "favorable weather", so when performing, the dance troupe will usually go first, followed by the palanquin with offerings and ceremonial objects. At the communal house or place of worship, the dragon will be respectfully carried into the back palace, then the master of ceremonies will perform a ceremony to pray for a year of favorable weather. Not only that, to have beautiful dances, martial artists must practice diligently. The dragon's expression is also a combination of emotions. From these emotions, dances such as ban long (running in a circle), chu chi (S-shaped), thuy ba (ripples of water), phong dang (jumping high), phong chuyen (spinning wind), phi long (flying dragon) ... Dragon dance cannot be without "ngoc". Ngoc is a ball placed in an iron frame, tied to a bamboo stick. A bell is hung on the end of the stick to make a sound when dancing. According to the explanation, when the dragon is in the cloud, it will hear the sound and come out to catch the pearl and the dance will begin. The person holding the pearl must also know the song to lead the dance.

Saying goodbye to the urgent drum beats, the graceful yet powerful images of the dragon performance, I suddenly realized that spring was very near. Along with the blooming peach and apricot blossoms, the bustling dragon and lion dances signaled the arrival of a peaceful and happy new spring./.

hanoimoi.com.vn

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ngay-xuan-ke-chuyen-mua-rong-658723.html