“Chèo” Performance

Sat 30 Nov 2013, 7 pm
Kim Liên Commune House
No. 148A, Kim Hoa, Dong Da Dist, Hanoi

From the organizer:

For years, “Chèo” has been known as a purely-Vietnamese art form which is familiar with native’s daily life. Until now, “Chèo”, along with “Ca trù” and “Dân ca quan họ”, has become important “key words” for those who want to discover Vietnamese traditional culture.

“Chèo” first came into being in the tenth century in Hoa Lu old capital by a talented singer and dancer named Pham Thi Tran. At the early age, “Chèo” existed in the form of folk dancing. Gradually, it became an annual activity that appeared in every vacation and festival, attracting a lot of people. Since then “Chèo” has been regarded as the symbol of Vietnam folk art.

One of the most special things in every pieces of “Chèo” is characters, which almost originated in real life such as Xuy Van, Thi Kinh, Thi Mau, Me Dop and clown. With these characters, people expressed their thoughts and feelings about their life as well as their society. Traditionally, “Chèo” concentrates on the struggle between good things and bad things. Through this struggles, old Vietnamese express their outlook on life and their hopeness of a good, equal and happy life.

For a long time, many pieces of “Chèo”, such as Quan Am Thi Kinh, Luu Binh Duong Le, Kim Nham, etc., have continuously been enjoyed by generations of Vietnamese people. However, “Chèo” is no longer attractive to the youngsters, including both of the viewers and the artists. What is the reason? Is it because Vietnamese young people today dislike “Chèo”? or Is it because of the gap between the old artist’s transmitting methods and the young’s access to “Chèo”? or “Chèo” is overshadowed by the rising of many modern art forms?

We hope that through this program about Chèo, today Vietnamese will have a chance to fully enjoy the atmosphere of this traditional art. Participants will come to the community house, sit in sedge mats and learn how to enjoy “Chèo” in a right way. In addition to playing some pieces of “Chèo”, we also have a talk show with “Chèo” artists and researchers to know more about the state of “Chèo” and their thoughts of this folk art.

Speaker: “King of chèo” Trần Đình Ngôn and Meritorious artist Thanh Ngoan, Director of Vietnam Cheo Theatre

Detailed program:
7 pm – 7:05 pm: Hề dẹp đám
7:05 pm – 7:15 pm: Piece from “Thị Mầu lên chùa”
7:15 pm- 7:35 pm: Part 1: Chèo in the old days
7:35 pm – 8 pm: Piece from “Thị Kính cắt râu chồng”
8 pm – 8:45 pm: Part 2: The art of Chèo and Try to be a Chèo artist
8:45 pm – 9 pm: Part 3: Chèo nowadays – Talk about preservation and development of Chèo elites
9 pm – 9:20 pm: Piece from “Việc làng”

Get ticket: Nhà Mẹt Café, 142 Doi Can, Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi
Register at: http://bit.ly/dkwd9