With careful preparation and elaborate staging, the traditional art performance program in the event "Quang Nam Cultural Days in Ho Chi Minh City" in 2023 promises to bring a unique cultural space of Quang Nam, serving compatriots in the South.
Promoting the art of singing Ba Trao
For nearly a month now, the cultural house of Binh Tinh village (Binh Minh commune, Thang Binh) has been bustling with the sounds of singing and the rhythm of rowing and pulling nets by members of the Binh Minh Commune Hat Ba Trao Club. They are enthusiastically practicing to prepare for performances at the event "Quang Nam Cultural Days in Ho Chi Minh City" in 2023.
Mr. Tran Van Tam - Chairman of the Club said that being trusted by the province to perform for a large number of fellow countrymen really brings great motivation to the Club. At the same time, it also opens up opportunities to widely promote the unique culture of the coastal residents of Quang Nam. Besides a few experienced artists, most of the members participating this time are young faces.
“The pillars of the club are no longer “strong enough” to participate, 2 new members take on the roles of general merchant and general driver. The actors rowing the boat and pulling the net are high school students in the area. Therefore, when we accepted to participate, we worked hard to practice day and night, prepare props and costumes with the hope of bringing the best performance” - Mr. Tam shared.
Taking on the role of the master of ceremonies, Mr. Tam is the one who steers and guides the entire performance and inspires the young people. Mr. Tam's voice is resonant, sometimes majestic, sometimes gentle.
Following each song, the rhythm of the drum beat, the 12 young crew members step rhythmically, row and pull the net decisively. They seem to bring a vivid picture of coastal fishermen racing on the waves, conquering the ocean and bringing back to the mainland a hold full of shrimp and fish.
“Ba Trao singing in the fishing ceremony is a folk performing art, consisting of three main contents: going out to sea, resting and fishing, pulling the net, and returning to shore. Throughout the performance of Ba Trao, many ways of speaking and singing are flexibly applied, such as folk songs, built-up speaking, Nam singing, Ly singing, Tan, Ho, Ke, Xuong…
According to ancient beliefs, singing Ba Trao is like a message fishermen send to the gods, praying for blessings for family peace, favorable weather, and a successful catch" - Mr. Tam said.
This unique cultural feature has been preserved and promoted by generations of fishermen, becoming a spiritual support for their offshore trips. The Binh Minh Commune Ba Trao Singing Club hopes that participating in this event will help the Ba Trao folk art form spread to Quang compatriots in the South, opening up opportunities to develop traditional art into a tourism product, attracting the attention and participation of the younger generation in preserving it.
Unique cultural space
Compared to the traditional singing, the singing of the folk song Bai Choi has become more familiar to the people of the country, because it is close, attractive and cohesive. In charge of this program at the event, the Quang Nam Opera and Drama Troupe has gathered a team of experienced artists and actors and prepared many new contents to convey in the most attractive way.
According to Ms. Vo Thi Thu May - Head of Quang Nam Opera Troupe, the artists will spend most of their time performing folk songs praising Quang Nam, which have been recently composed. In addition to idioms, proverbs, and folk sayings, the lyrics will mention the characteristics of Quang Nam such as specialties, places, and mother's lullabies...
“Through the melody, lyrics and familiar words, people will be able to feel it more easily and evoke their love for their homeland. This is a special gift from the countryside that we want to give to our beloved fellow countrymen and spread this traditional folk art,” Ms. May shared.
Amidst the vibrant, bustling cultural space with many joyful tones in “Quang Nam Cultural Days in Ho Chi Minh City”, the Apsara dance is like a “low note” that is stirring, calm but evokes many memories.
Ms. Van Thi Cam Tu - Deputy Director of the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board (Duy Xuyen) said that the product "Apsara Legend" has been performed by the Cham Folk Art Troupe for many years at the My Son Temple Complex and has received positive responses from domestic and foreign tourists. Bringing this "specialty" to the South, the unit has mobilized a larger number of actors and spent a lot of time practicing and polishing.
On the background of traditional Cham music, the intangible cultural values of the Cham and Vietnamese peoples are vividly recreated through stage art, with the combination of dance language and lighting techniques. Thereby, bringing to our fellow countrymen interesting feelings about the process of cultural exchange and acculturation between Cham and Vietnamese in their homeland.
“The Apsara Legend will introduce to our fellow countrymen a completely different perspective on the My Son Temple Complex. It is not a dry relic but also has intangible cultural values, historical stories, and art contained in this heritage land. In particular, over thousands of years, these values have been preserved, conserved, and exploited, and developed into tourism products to attract visitors,” said Ms. Tu.
And the cultural and artistic “party” in Ho Chi Minh City will have many other special spiritual dishes. They, the artists of Quang Nam, are ready to respond to the eagerness and expectation of their compatriots with a promising performance…
Source
Comment (0)