For a long time, the smooth and soulful Cheo singing has been deeply embedded in the spiritual and cultural life of the people of Vinh Loc. Through many historical ups and downs, to this day, Cheo melodies are still maintained, preserved and promoted by the people, contributing to the preservation of the precious heritage left by our ancestors.
Minh Tan Commune Cheo Club performs at the 20th Thanh Hoa Province Ethnic Culture Festival, 2024.
We went to the cultural house of Xuan Ang village, Vinh Long commune (Vinh Loc), where members of the Xuan Ang Cheo Club were enthusiastically practicing Cheo skits, and we could feel their deep love for Cheo. For the people here, Cheo is an indispensable part of their spiritual life. Cheo singing has been around for a long time, the people here themselves do not remember exactly, they only know that every villager was born and raised with those smooth, gentle, and lyrical Cheo melodies. In the past, Cheo singing was often performed by the villagers every night at the communal house yard and at village events. Thanks to the times they went to see the villagers perform Cheo, the generation of villagers here also knew how to sing Cheo, became attached to and loved the art of Cheo more. Therefore, to preserve and increasingly affirm the position and vitality of Cheo art in the community, in 2001, Cheo lovers in the village established the Xuan Ang Cheo Club.
Since its establishment, the club has attracted 22 members. Most of the operating costs, props and costumes are contributed by the members themselves. Every day, the members actively practice to bring Cheo singing to serve and improve the spiritual life of the people in the village and commune and participate in many competitions organized by the locality and the province. The club also regularly performs for tourists at historical sites and scenic spots in the district such as the World Cultural Heritage of Ho Dynasty Citadel, Kim Son National Scenic Spot, Trinh Palace Festival, Tran Khat Chan Festival...
Ms. Ha Thi Dien, Head of the Xuan Ang Cheo Club, said: “I myself was born and raised among sweet folk melodies, so the melodies of the Cheo melodies have penetrated my soul without me realizing it. I have devoted all my love to the art of Cheo; participated in writing scripts, directing and also acting in many roles such as the stepmother in the play Tam Cam, Thi Mau in Quan Am Thi Kinh, Mrs. Nghi Que in the play Chi Dau... The good news is that nowadays, the love for the art of Cheo is not only among middle-aged and elderly people but is also passed on to young people.
In Minh Tan commune, in recent times, "Cheo singing" has been one of the cultural activities that has attracted people. Most villages have people who know how to sing Cheo and have established Cheo teams to perform for village and commune events. In the process of building a model new-style rural commune, based on a field survey, Minh Tan commune has chosen to build a Cheo singing club model as a prominent criterion. Accordingly, the People's Committee of the commune has established a Cheo singing club and a model management board, built regulations, made a list and organized a meeting to gather people's opinions on the operation of the Cheo singing club model. After completing the procedures, the commune has submitted a proposal to Vinh Loc district to recognize the Cheo singing club model of Minh Tan commune. Since the commune's Cheo singing club has been put into operation, it has attracted a large number of people of all ages to participate and maintain regular activities at village communal houses and village cultural houses. With the attention of Party committees, authorities and the contribution of the people in supporting training and living expenses, organizing competitions and mass art performances, the Cheo Club has created conditions for it to maintain effective operations, the quality of its performances has been increasingly improved, contributing to effectively implementing the task of propagating the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's policies and laws to the people.
In modern social life like today, the good news is that traditional Cheo tunes are still preserved and promoted by people in Vinh Loc district in their daily lives. Up to now, the whole district has had many Cheo teams and clubs established and operating effectively, not only contributing to improving the spiritual and cultural life of the people but also preserving the precious heritage left by their ancestors. In order for Cheo art to continue to be preserved and promoted, in recent times, all levels, sectors and localities in the district have also made efforts to implement many solutions, focusing on promoting propaganda and mobilizing Cheo connoisseurs to promote their role, enthusiasm and responsibility in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values. In addition, coordinating the organization of exchange activities, performances and art competitions to create conditions for Cheo clubs and teams to participate in performances; create conditions for Cheo clubs and art troupes to participate in competitions organized by the province... However, in reality, preserving Cheo art in the district also faces some difficulties because the number of Cheo artists in the clubs is not large and most of them are old and gradually getting old. The young generation has not yet approached or fully understood the value of Cheo art, so the majority are not interested in learning, preserving, conserving and developing Cheo art...
Article and photos: Nguyen Dat
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/vinh-loc-quan-tam-giu-gin-va-phat-huy-nghe-thuat-cheo-truyen-thong-222788.htm
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