HN and HCMC – Krossing Over Arts Festival 2019
HCMC: 05 – 11 Apr 2019
Hanoi: 13 – 21 Apr 2019
From Krossing Over Arts Festival:
Krossing Over Arts Festival (KOAF), coorganised this year by Kerman and French Institute in Vietnam, is in its third edition with an exciting two-week-long programme over two cities, featuring a series of interdisciplinary and collaborative performances along with a plethora of artist talks, dance workshops, and international film screenings. The festival will take place from 5/4/2019 to 11/4/2019 in Ho Chi Minh-City and from 13/4/2019 to 21/4/2019 in Hanoi at 15 different locations both indoors and outdoors.
Embracing the theme “Roots”, site-specific and on stage works presented at this year’s festival opens a wide spectrum of imagery from the part of a tree that grows deeply into the earth to the metaphorical link to our ancestors. It is all about transmission through various channels as the unconscious memory in Lub qhov rooj (The Door), a collaboration between choreographer Nguyen Phuc Hung and visual artist Sandrine Llouquet featuring dancer Sung A Lung. The memory of the body itself in The Roots by Kader Attou director of National Choreographic Center in La Rochelle, with a powerful performance which already toured all over Europe, and also USA, China and Taiwan. In At the Gate of Oblivion Sébastien Ly in association with two Vietnamese dancers and two French dancers will deliver a deep and intimate performance on the relationship to our grand-parents, including the poem of Kim Van Kieu recited by his grand-mother. Tree of Life by UDG Vietnam and choreographed by the festival patron John Huy Tran, in collaboration with composer and visual artist Benoît Bottex, features the primordial connection between human beings and nature.

Apart from the performances, KOAF 2019 includes in its schedule eight titles of experimental but yet accessible dance films by independent filmmakers, producers, and choreographers that echo the festival’s theme. Some of these pieces have previously been shown at international film festivals such as Tarikat by Jasmijn Schrofer (Agite Y Sirva Film Festival, Mexico); and The Ferryman by Gilles Delmans and Damien Jalet (Ciné-Corps Film Festival, Paris).
For the first time KOAF offers a stage for young artists to show their works in progress. The best of them will be part of KOAF 2020 in their full-size.
KOAF aims to create an inclusive approach to art through the choice of both theatres as The Youth Center and the Opera House and atypical venues such as a library, a residency for artists, a public square, which liberates art from intimidating white walls. This not only makes art more approachable to a larger crowd of participants, but also ignites their sense of discovery urging them to travel to see the art, meet new people and visit new places.


Festival schedule
IN HCMC: 05 – 11 Apr 2019
IN HANOI: 13 – 21 Apr 2019
Please find below the list of venues and more information about all the events:
IN HCMC: 05 – 11 Apr 2019
1. Krossing Over at Nhà Văn hoá Thanh niên 4 Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, HCMC
Fri 05 Apr, 6.30 pm – Grand Opening: Aux Portes De L’Oubli | Sébastien Ly
Thu 11 Apr, 6.30 pm – KOAF Final Event: An Exclusive Night
2. Krossing Over at IDECAF 31 Thái Văn Lung, District 1, HCMC
Sat 06 Apr, 6.30 pm – In Situ: White Language | Screening: Ciné-Corps Dance Film
Thu 11 Apr, 6.30 pm – Artist Talk: From Champa to Vietnam and the World
3. Krossing Over at Dancenter 53 Nguyễn Đăng Giai, Thảo Điền, District 2, HCMC
Sun 07 Apr, 9 am – Workshop: Contact Improvisation | Sunyoung Grace Lim
4. Krossing Over at A.Farm 1 Tân Thới Nhất 6, Tân Thới Nhất, District 12, HCMC
Sun 07 Apr, 6.30 pm – In Situ: Tree of Life & Lub Qhov Rooj
5. Krossing Over at Yoko Cafe 22 Nguyễn Thị Diệu, Ward 6, District 3, HCMC
Mon 08 Apr, 3 pm – Artist Talk: Being a dancer in HCMC
6. Krossing Over at Salon Saigon 6D Ngô Thời Nhiệm, Ward 7, District 3, HCMC
Mon 08 Apr, 6.30 pm – Screening: Where Choreo-Cinema meets Dance
7. Krossing Over at Trường Múa (Dance School) 155 Bis Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, Ward 6, District 3, HCMC
Tue 09 Apr, 3 pm – Workshop: Dance & Words
8. Krossing Over at ISHCMC 1 Xuân Thuỷ, Thảo Điền, District 2, HCMC
Tue 09 Apr, 6.30 pm – KOAF Contest: Tremplin
9. Krossing Over at The Factory 15 Nguyễn Ư Dĩ, Thảo Điền, District 2, HCMC
Wed 10 Apr, 3 pm – Artist Talk: Dialogue between dance and the other arts
10. Krossing Over at Saigon Opera House 7 Công Trường Lam Sơn, Bến Nghé, District 1, HCMC
Wed 10 Apr, 8 pm – The Roots
IN HANOI: 13 – 21 Apr 2019
11. Krossing Over at Youth Theatre 11 Ngô Thì Nhậm, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội
Sat 13 Apr, 8 pm – Hip-hop Dance: The roots – Kader Attou
12. Krossing Over at Kinergie Studio 101A Nguyễn Khuyến, Văn Miếu, Đống Đa, Hà Nội
Sun 14 Apr, 6.30 pm – KOAF Meets Local Dancers
16 – 18 Apr, 1.30 pm – Workshop: Dance & Words
13. Krossing Over at Six Space 94 Trần Hưng Đạo, Cửa Nam, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Wed 17 Apr, 7 pm – Screening: Where Choreo-Cinema meets Dance
14. Krossing Over at L’Espace 24-26 Tràng Tiền, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Sat 20 Apr, 8 pm – Contemporary Dance: Aux Portes De L’Oubli
15. Krossing Over at Quảng trường Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Hà Nội (Updating)
About Krossing Over Arts Festival
Krossing Over Arts Festival first started in 2017 following the initiative of choreographer Sébastien Ly with support from French Institute in Vietnam and Kerman, featuring interdisciplinary performances at various locations in Ho Chi Minh City. The Festival is all about crossings: between contemporary dance and other art forms; between local and international artistic approaches; and between the public and artists. Each performance will be presented twice at different locations, so therefore the experience will vary every time.


About Kerman
Kerman brings to life the projects of the choreographer Sébastien Ly: on-stage performances; site-specific experiences; and short films. Each project has at its heart a dialogue between dance and various arts (literature, visual arts, photography, video, music). Founded and led by Sébastien Ly, KOAF is the extension of these intersections on a map of the city, with its inhabitants and the artists who work there. Kerman is the name of a city in Iran precisely halfway between Hue, Vietnam and Saint-Aygulf, France.
With the support of: French Institute, Air France and Vietnam Airlines, FV Hospital, Central Group Vietnam, Đô Thành Auto Group, Hoàng Nam Group, Kova Group, LYNK Group, Minh Long I Company, Nguyên Thanh Hương Company, Thuận Gia Company, Tuần Châu Group, Pierre Fabre Vietnam, Doctor Tran Tien Chanh & Mrs Huynh Thi Kieu Trang, VP Bank, Vietfoot Travel, BNP Paribas, South Pacific Travel Joint Stock Company, Hoà Bình Construction Group, Altara Suites, Red Apron, Sao Khuê Pharma, EMASI International School, Xuân Association, Cosiana Suites, Idoko, Hanoi Grapevine, HomeTV, Saigoneer, TicketBox, A. Farm, IDECAF, ISHCMC, Youth Center, Salon Saigon, Soul Academy, The Factory, Trường Múa, Yoko Cafe, Six Space, Kinergie, Behalf Studio, Dancenter, HUFO, Khô Mực Studio.