VietNamNet Bridge – For the first time, a Vietnamese circus programme has been ordered by a foreign show organiser. That is “My Village” of the Vietnam Circus Federation.

“My Village” will go to France as of June 2009, starting a three-year tour in Europe and other countries.

Fourteen young and excellent artists of the Vietnam Circus Federation have been practicing for nearly one year with five instrumentalists under the instruction of director Tuan Anh.

The show is performed each Saturday and is altered after each show. Artists want to have a perfect circus programme.

The variation of bamboos

“My Village” can be seen as a variety show, in which circus is the key part. All items in the show are arranged to highlight the picture of Vietnam’s countryside. Bamboo trees, therefore, are chosen as the language of the show.

Artists dance with bamboo pipes. They walk on and perform acrobatics on bamboo pipes, do prestidigitation with bamboo-made baskets. The stage is decorated with bamboo screens and the major musical instrument – dan moi -- is also made of bamboo.

In that picture of Vietnamese rural life, the lives of Vietnamese farmers appears through circus items that reflect folk games like shuttle-cock kicking, water bailing-out, swinging and others.

It is interesting that “My Village” was designed by overseas Vietnamese artists: director Tuan Anh (Vietnamese-German), musician Nhat Ly (Vietnamese-French), and circus instructor Nguyen Lan (Vietnamese-French).

The idea for “My Village” programme came out in 2004, when a French-Vietnamese cultural exchange project was compiled. In September 2005, “My Village” was introduced to Vietnamese audiences.

The show was praised by the Scene de la Terre (France) and this organisation invited the Vietnam Circus Federation to bring the show to Europe.

My Village – the value of creativeness

Why is Scene de la Terre willing to pay a lot of money to bring “My Village” to Europe for three years? The show must meet strict requirements and conditions.

Artists produced “My Village” without a script, but only based on an idea, a very strange thing in arranging art shows in Vietnam. Normally, Vietnamese artists act under directors’ instructions but in this show, they can express themselves as they feel.

“I only had the idea and artists act as they like, based on their thinking, imagination and feeling. I witnessed their performance to choose the best to arrange this programme,” said director Tuan Anh.

Even instrumentalists don’t have to play any certain pieces of music, but play music with their own inspiration. They watch how circus artists perform and play music.

Director Tuan Anh said that initially, artists were astonished with this style of art but then they were very interested in it and they were quickly in tune with each other.

“All artists work very seriously and passionately,” Tuan Anh commented. He said they worked at their best because they are investing in themselves. If the show is good, their contract will be longer than three years.

Tuan Anh hopes that the 14 circus artists will introduce Vietnamese circus to the world.

According to Scene de la Terre, “My Village” will first be performed in 11 shows at the Quai Branly Museum, located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, a place for special art performances in Paris.

To prepare for this event, Director of the Scene de la Terre, Jean Luc Larguier, and 12 French journalists came to Vietnam to write articles about “My Village”. Artists are practicing but the tickets for this show were sold out. After France, “My Village” will go to Belgium, the UK, Germany, the US and other countries.

VietNamNet/NLD

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