When folk culture steps onto the professional stage
At the 2024 National Music and Dance Festival (phase 1), the dance performance "Cotton picking season on the fields" by the Lao Cai Province Ethnic Arts Troupe shone, winning the Gold Medal. The work was inspired by the life of the Thu Lao people - an ethnic minority in Si Ma Cai commune, with cotton growing and weaving jobs that have been associated for generations. The movements of cotton picking, cotton plucking, spinning, fabric dyeing... when conveyed through dance language became soft, delicate lines, vividly depicting the beauty of labor and the pure soul of the people of the Lao Cai highlands.
To create a work that is both rich in identity and has a contemporary feel like "Cotton Picking Season on the Field" is the result of the dedicated artistic work of choreographer Xuan Hanh and the artists of the Lao Cai Province Ethnic Arts Troupe.
Choreographer Xuan Hanh shared: “The Thu Lao ethnic group is a very small community, with limited musical materials and folk language, so when I started staging, I couldn’t help but worry. But that opened up a creative space, helping us explore and experiment with things no one had ever done before.”
In just 10 days, he and the artists have diligently researched and breathed into each movement and each beat the authentic breath of the Thu Lao working life. The work is a delicate blend of folk dance language and contemporary style, both rustic and profound, fresh and emotional, vividly depicting the beauty of highland culture in the midst of modern life.
According to Meritorious Artist Nguyen Viet Phong, Head of the Lao Cai Province Ethnic Arts Troupe, the success of the performance “Cotton Picking Season on the Fields” is not only the result of individual creative efforts, but also affirms the sustainable direction of the Troupe over the years: taking folk culture as a source of artistic creation.
Bringing folk materials to the professional stage not only requires talent and delicate perception, but also requires a meticulous research and selection process, from the simple, everyday things in people's lives, to form a refined artistic language, rich in influence, preserving the traditional spirit but also in harmony with the contemporary breath.
Each ethnic group is a precious cultural treasure. Therefore, when building the program, the Provincial Ethnic Arts Troupe always organizes trips to collect and penetrate the reality of ethnic minority communities such as Thu Lao, La Chi, Phu La... Choreographers and musicians must live with the people, understand their customs, beliefs and work to convey the beauty of culture to the stage authentically and delicately. From the script, music to costumes, styling, every detail is meticulously done, understanding and respecting the identity.
Meritorious Artist Nguyen Viet Phong, Head of the Lao Cai Province Ethnic Arts Troupe, shared: “We always keep in mind that we need to be creative to develop but not go too far, so that when the audience looks up at the stage, they immediately recognize that it is their ethnic group, not any other ethnic group.”
In recent years, the Lao Cai Province Ethnic Arts Troupe has continuously achieved many high achievements at the National Music and Dance Festivals, with 2 Gold Medals for the whole troupe in 2018, 2021 and a Silver Medal in 2024; many individual performances also won Gold and Silver medals, in which most of the performances were created from folk cultural materials of ethnic groups in the province.
“After each festival, the award-winning performances are brought back to serve the people of the province, so that folk culture not only shines on the big stage but also returns to the community that gave birth to it.” - Meritorious Artist Nguyen Viet Phong added.
When folk music becomes a source of creativity
Not only in the field of dance, Lao Cai musicians are also persistently looking for their own way to bring folk materials into contemporary music. Folk songs of the Mong, Tay, Dao, Giay ethnic groups… with their rustic, profound melodies of the mountains and forests have become an endless source of inspiration for many new compositions.
Notably, the song “Gập em bep lua nha sống” by musician Vũ Đình Trọng, won the B Prize at the 2023 National Music Festival. This song is inspired by the daily life of the Tay people in Văn Bàn, depicting the peaceful mountainous village space, where the firelight of the stilt house becomes a symbol of humanity and simple happiness. From the melody to the rhythm, the song is imbued with the Tay folk music, with a gentle and flexible rhythm, reflecting the life and people of Văn Bàn in a close and natural way.
“From the life and culture of the Tay people in Van Ban, I feel the sincerity and warmth of the people. It is this sentiment that makes me choose the image of “the fire in the stilt house” as a symbol of the people’s faith, love and good life.”
Music Doctor Vu Dinh Trong - Deputy Director of Lao Cai Provincial Culture and Cinema Center
Also inspired by folk materials, the song “Slanted Sa Pa” by Phu Ngoc Lan (based on Nguyen Van Tong’s poem) is a testament to the subtle blend of contemporary music and the cultural colors of the Mong people. The song has a flexible rhythm, many notes evoke the feeling of the sound of a panpipe resounding in the mountains and forests. Images of the love market, the sound of a panpipe, the fire, the xoè dance… are cleverly used, creating a highland cultural space that is both poetic and authentic.
In particular, the repetition of the word “leaning” throughout the song is a unique creation, evoking a soft, graceful feeling, both folk and modern. The work was staged into a music video with vivid images, fully expressing the beauty of Sa Pa, and won the Encouragement Prize in the category of Music and Dance at the National Television Festival in 2025.
From folk dances elevated to the professional stage to contemporary musical melodies imbued with the soul of the highlands, it can be affirmed that folk materials are the source of nurturing and lighting up the creativity of Lao Cai art today. The harmonious combination of folk elements and modern artistic language not only helps Lao Cai art affirm its position on professional stages in the country, but also contributes to promoting the image and local culture to the general public. Thereby enriching the Vietnamese cultural identity in the contemporary flow.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/chat-lieu-dan-gian-mach-nguon-sang-tao-cua-nghe-thuat-lao-cai-post884807.html
Comment (0)