“Nutcracker” through the Dream of a Vietnamese Girl
Written by Nguyen Duc Tung for Hanoi Grapevine
Do not copy or re-post without permission from the writer and Hanoi Grapevine
Vietnam National Opera & Ballet (VNOB) had two successful performances of the ballet “Nutcracker – Wonder Dream” on December 5th and 6th at the Hanoi Opera House.
Based on the original works of the well-known composer P.I.Tchaikovsky, more than 60 artists from VNOB retold the story “Nutcracker” through the dream of a Vietnamese girl named Quynh Lan. This success is a collaboration with the orchestra led by conductor Dong Quang Vinh.
“Nutcracker – Wonder Dream” started with the Christmas party at Quynh Lan’s house. The little girl got a nutcracker as a present. That night in her dream, Quynh Lan saw the nutcracker turned into a good looking prince to protect her from the King of Mice and took her to a wonderful land.
The audience during the performance could clearly see the signs representing Vietnam put in harmony with the Western features. The most admirable thing is the formation of the Christmas tree made from nón lá – a Vietnamese traditional hat. Furthermore, the artists from VNOB also cleverly combined the original style of ballet with traditional folk dance in Vietnam.
The performance also featured dances from different cultures in the world, such as flamenco or Cham Pa. Art director Tran Ly Ly, choreographer, artist Luu Thu Lan and artist Nguyen Hong Phong wanted to clear all barriers and create a borderless world. In that place, every child will share the same dream and follow the same flow of emotions. All the performances, though featured different cultural characteristics, created a harmonious whole, giving the audience a sense of freshness and innocence.
Foreign audiences shared that they had watched this ballet before, and what this version brought about went beyond their expectations. As for Vietnamese audiences, this is an opportunity to get closer to the fine art of ballet.
An excerpt from the performance:
Some photos taken from the performance:
