(VLO) Khmer dance art is a unique spiritual product that is indispensable in the holidays, New Year, parties, and funerals of the Khmer people. With enthusiasm and special love for the traditional dance art of the nation, Ms. Thach Thi Ni Ta (Head of the Khmer Ethnic Dance and Singing Group - Vinh Long Province Cultural and Art Center) does not hesitate to go to the villages to teach, contributing to spreading the passion and preserving the unique cultural values of her people to many young people.
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| Dance movements are a harmonious combination of hands, feet and facial expressions. |
Born and raised in Tra Con commune, Tra On district - where a large number of Khmer people live. Since she was young, Ni Ta had the opportunity to come into contact with the dances of her people through traditional holidays, New Year or housewarming ceremonies, weddings.
Passionate and talented from an early age, Ni Ta easily learned folk dance movements, even though she was self-taught. However, to be able to nurture and stick with this art form for a long time, she needed to have the conditions to study systematically, so she was determined to pass the entrance exam to Tra Vinh University with a major in folk dance.
After a period of hard study, she found a job at the Vinh Long Province Cultural and Art Center. She is currently the head of the folk song and dance group.
Khmer people
“During my work, I realized that fewer and fewer Khmer ethnic children know about traditional dance. From there, I boldly proposed opening dance classes in districts with a large Khmer population such as Tra On, Tam Binh, Binh Minh, and Vung Liem,” she confided.
So from 2018 until now, every weekend, Ni Ta takes advantage of her time to come and teach the children.
“The classes have students who have only been practicing for a few days, but there are also students who have been practicing for nearly 2 years. For new students, we will teach them basic movements, and when they are proficient in dancing, we will teach them advanced movements,” she added.
Thach Minh Nhat (living in Tan My commune, Tra On district), one of the students who has been practicing for nearly a year now and has performed at pagodas during holidays and Tet, excitedly said: “When I was young, I often watched dancing and singing at pagodas, during festivals and on YouTube channels. The more I watched, the more interested I became. When a dance class opened, I signed up to study.
At first, I learned basic dance movements. Now I not only know how to dance folk dances but also dance some royal stage dances such as: Ro bam chuc cong... The happiest thing is that my friends and I join the dance team to perform on holidays and festivals.
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| Children often come to learn and watch dance in large numbers, thereby spreading and preserving the traditional cultural beauty of the Khmer people. |
Sharing the same passion for the arts, Thach Thi Hong Tham happily said: "At home, my mother also knows how to dance, but it is very difficult to teach her.
Luckily, Ms. Ni Ta came to teach us. She taught very well, she corrected and guided us little by little. Thanks to her, I know how to dance many dances so that I can perform in the future as well as continue to teach the children in the neighborhood."
Up to now, Ms. Ni Ta has opened 4 dance classes and 2 art troupes with more than 100 children participating.
According to Mr. Le Hoang Nam - Deputy Director of Vinh Long Province's Cultural and Artistic Center, Ms. Thach Thi Ni Ta always upholds a sense of responsibility in her work, especially on weekends she travels a long distance of 40-50km to the countryside to "pass on" her passion and preserve the national cultural arts to children.
“Ms. Ni Ta herself is a dancer who has achieved many successes in the artistic work of Vinh Long province, receiving many awards from the province to the Central level.
Most recently, in the 2023 Mass Arts Festival and the Southern Khmer Cultural Festival, Ms. Ni Ta also mobilized and mobilized actors, including Khmer children, to participate and achieved very positive results" - Mr. Hoang Nam shared more.
According to the Deputy Director of the Vinh Long Provincial Cultural and Arts Center, in 2023, the center will continue to create favorable conditions for Ms. Ni Ta to open dance classes for children on weekends.
At the same time, 6 more Khmer mass art teams were established in districts with a large Khmer population to create a healthy playground and nurture artistic talents for children.
Some awards Ms. Thach Thi Ni Ta has achieved 1. Gold medal for the performance "Traditional wedding ceremony of Khmer people" in the National Mobile Propaganda Contest "The whole country joins hands to build new rural areas" in Ba Ria-Vung Tau (November 2020). 2. Bronze medal for the dance performance "Love of the Land" at the "Young Talents of Students of Cultural and Artistic Training Institutions Nationwide 2020" Contest in Thua Thien Hue (December 2020). 3. Received a personal certificate of merit from the Chairman of Vinh Long Provincial People's Committee for "Winning prizes in provincial, regional and national competitions in 2020" (March 2021). 4. Won the B prize for performing an excerpt of a festival and traditional cultural rituals at the 8th Southern Khmer Culture-Sports-Tourism Festival in 2022 held in Soc Trang. 5. Won 1 A prize, 2 B prizes, 1 C prize at the Khmer People's Mass Arts Festival and many other awards. |
Article and photos: TAN TAN - NGOC LIEU
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