Father to Son: A Family That Lives and Plays with the Art of Dance

This September, the Little Stars Dance Troupe of People's Artist Dang Hung and his wife, People's Artist Vuong Linh, celebrated its 25th anniversary; and this dance family has just completed its application for the State Prize for Literature and Arts with 9 works.

“When I called my parents in Hungary to inform them and ask them to provide the necessary information for the application, because there were works and clips from 1992..., my mother was very happy. I told her: I don't know what the final award will be, but it's a meaningful thing, I want to do this,” shared Meritorious Artist Linh Nga, daughter of the dancer couple Dang Hung and Vuong Linh.

Linh Nga said that after People's Artist Dang Hung and Vuong Linh retired, she wanted her parents to have a real retirement and to travel a lot; because they had devoted all their time to work, to the Bong Sen Folk Music and Dance Theater, as well as the Little Stars Dance Troupe. She did not expect her parents' trip to Europe to be hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and they had to stay in Hungary until now.

Serious about the family profession

Inheriting artistic genes from her parents, for Linh Nga, “dance is also my youth and childhood”. At the age of 10, Linh Nga was a mainstay member of the Little Stars dance group, belonging to the Lotus Folk Song and Dance Theatre. At the age of 12, Linh Nga went to China to study dance and at the age of 22, after graduating from the Beijing Dance Academy, China, she returned to work at the Lotus Folk Song and Dance Theatre, where her parents had been attached since the late 1980s.

Linh Nga is always aware that “dancing is a family profession, a profession that is not easy for her family to survive and stay in Ho Chi Minh City until today”. Therefore, she expressed: “An artist may have complications in life, but with their profession, they must always be serious, so that on stage and in the field they work in, they can receive a certain respect, true to the value they contribute”.

Dance is a challenging art form for those who choose it. Linh Nga shared that although the time for studying is very long, the time for practicing and cultivating is also not small and must be continuous, the "living space" of dance in Vietnam is not much and the golden age of a dancer is very short - about 5 years. Therefore, to make short-term gains for long-term gains, "for many years now I have brought dance to events, I want dance to be more popular. I believe that, no matter how big or small the event is, my appearance must always be professional, the stage, no matter how large or small, the expertise must be at the highest level, so that the audience understands that, ah, it turns out that academic art can also "run events" and not just perform in big theaters".

The pride of two generations

Since moving to Ho Chi Minh City, People's Artist Dang Hung has worked at the Bong Sen Traditional Music and Dance Theatre from the position of actor to troupe leader, then deputy director and director. Linh Nga shared, "almost all of my parents' lives were attached to each of these places, then me and my uncle - artist Doan Long". Therefore, for Linh Nga, "my parents and I consider the theatre as our home". "For many years, my father has been devoted to the activities of the theatre, while my mother is attached to the rehearsal floor, training actors. My company - Vuong Vu - organizes art programs in conjunction with the theatre... With such a rotation and connection, in the past 2 years, when my father retired, not only did my grandparents feel disappointed, but I also found it difficult because of the absence that not everyone could understand", Linh Nga confided.

In addition, if foreign solo artists only focus on performing and shining on stage, it is not the same in Vietnam, when they have to worry about many things outside of their expertise. “For a long time, I have been supported by my family. When both my mother and father retired, I took care of everything by myself, from expertise to scheduling actors, preparing costumes...; and then taking charge of the Little Stars dance class for my parents. But, I am really only good at dancing, but having to sign contracts or negotiate with customers makes me feel like I have lost my purity and inspiration in art,” Linh Nga said. So after “holding on” for a year without her parents by her side, she also quit the theater (from September 2019), switching to another direction, both working and supporting, cooperating with the theater's programs.

“For my family, dance - both performing and training - is not just a career, as decades ago my parents spent their own money to invest, care for, and nurture that love. To be more precise, in addition to living with art, we also "play art". That play not only shows the artist's temperament but also the pride of the family."

Linh Nga received the title of Meritorious Artist in 2016, when she was 30 years old (the youngest in this awarding round, along with Ta Thuy Chi and Dam Han Giang). But what made her more proud was that the Bong Sen Traditional Music and Dance Theatre received the record for the Theatre that trained the most dance artists, established by the Vietnam Record Book Center.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cha-truyen-con-noi-gia-dinh-song-va-choi-cung-nghe-thuat-mua-185996926.htm