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One of scenes in the play The girlhood was far away |
Unlike the traditional ballet dancing, contemporary dance encourages dancers to use their emotions and moods to design their own steps and routines. The dance style has come to the central province of Binh Dinh.
The contemporary dance is still looking for a wider target audience. The music in contemporary dance plays an important role in creating emotions for dancers and enhancing the audience’s sense.
Owing to the difficulties in performing and sensing, the contemporary dance hasn’t been popular even though it was introduced into Vietnam nearly 20 years ago.
Mentioning contemporary dance, artists and audience will think of French-Vietnamese choreographer Ea Sola with her evocative works such as Han han va con mua (Drought and rain) or Ngay xua ngay xua (Once upon a time).
When studying at Vietnam Cinema and Stage University, the meritorious artist Hoai Hue nurtured a combination between opera and contemporary dance.
He decided to write the drama named Thoi con gai da xa (The girlhood was far away) in which the opera was in harmony with contemporary dance in late 2008.
When enjoying the play, the audience were surprised with its uninterrupted plots even though the curtain was not closed and the light wasn’t switched off.
Thanks to contemporary dance, four wood frames played as multifunction props in the play. They could be railroad cars, frames of fate, broken bridge, street lamps, or hearts.
It was his creativeness that attracted the audience. The fate of volunteers was clearly showed through not only sounds but the movement of artists’ bodies.
“When performing in District, we wondered how the audience would react to the play,” Hue said. “Surprisingly, many were attracted by the play and some said they liked the way we had performed.”
Choreographer Nhat Huy also played an important role in the success of the drama. “This was the first time I has joined contemporary dance,” he said. “I had to spend sleepless nights preparing for the play.”
Hue said he wanted to write another play with the similar combination. Huy also hoped to continue to participate in such plays. “It will take much time for the audience in Binh Dinh to get familiar with contemporary dance,” Huy said.
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