Multi Disciplinary Theater Premiere “Mã: Road to Nothingness”
08 pm – 09:30 pm, 30 May – 01 June 2025
Hồng Hà Theatre
51A Đường Thành, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Ticket link
From the organizer:
“Mã: Road to Nothingness” is a multi-disciplinary stage performance that blends dance, traditional and contemporary music, and visual arts, guiding the audience to explore the deep connections between the individual and community memory, between reality and myth, between existentialism and belief. This performance marks the continuation of the collaboration between Lên Ngàn, the Vietnam Tuồng Theater, and choreographer Nguyễn Duy Thành, aimed at uncovering new potentials in connecting contemporary performing arts with local cultural materials.
“Mã” is a multi-layered artistic journey that includes research activities on the dance movements of traditional theatrical forms, professional exchange between contemporary dancers and traditional theater artists, intimate discussions about the potential of dance intertwined with folk performance genres, and three public performances showcasing the results of artists’ development of traditional Vietnamese dance materials.
Inspired by the ancestor worship belief of the Vietnamese people and myths about the reincarnation of souls, “Mã” is not just a performance, but a living entity—where dance continually reconfigures according to the movements of memory, where the body language connects the sacred space with contemporary urban life. The performance space in “Mã” is fluid—it shifts continuously, blurring the boundaries between the subject and the environment, between private and communal, between the inside and outside of the human being.
Choreographed by Nguyễn Duy Thành and curated by Lên Ngàn, throughout the work, traditional materials intertwine with popular social elements to serve as a frame—a subtle metaphor for customs and conflicts, stripping away scenes, rituals, habits, and rules not only about history and heritage but also about the very existence of the individual. The performance portrays a contemporary Vietnam torn between material reality and spiritual life, where each body movement is a profound dialogue with memory and personal identity, blending traditional Vietnamese arts like Chầu Văn, Ca Trù, Tuồng, Chèo with contemporary dance, experimental music, jazz, techno, and trap, house music. Traditional sounds are embedded in an experimental electronic space, with light design highlighting inner moments, turning the stage into a place for expressing the metaphorical layers of history, heritage, family, and the very existence of being.
“Mã: Road to Nothingness” is an inward journey—where each audience member not only observes but also reflects and converses with themselves. It is an artistic journey from the unconscious to consciousness, from tradition to modernity, from the personal to the collective—a “new existential space” created through movement, sound, and light.
This performance is not only the result of creative effort but also a tool to connect young generations of artists with Vietnam’s cultural heritage, spreading the spirit of the nation in a new form—deeply rooted in tradition yet open and modern, profound yet challenging the senses.
Fields of Interest: Local heritage, Traditional arts, Dance, Tuồng, Chèo, Chầu Văn, Techno, House, Trap, Contemporary art, Traditional music, Connecting generations, Celebrating diversity, Alternative aesthetics in contemporary Vietnam.
Ticket information:
VIP – Consciousness: 1,200,000 VND
A – Reminiscence: 650,000 VND
B – Nothingness: 350,000 VND
15% discount for students purchasing B-class tickets.
Creative team
Nguyen Duy Thanh | Choreographer
Nguyen Quoc Hoang Anh | Artistic Director, Scriptwriter & Music Director
Long Dinh | Music Producer & Percussionist
Dang Xuan Truong | Lighting Designer
Ha Nguyen Long | Stage Designer
Pham Dang Khanh | Costume Designer
Performers
Chu Vân
Chu Thoan
Hiểu Khánh
Quốc Khanh
Thế Hậu
Live music ensemble
Đàn nhị & Đàn nguyệt | NSƯT Xuân Diệu
Cello | Pha Lê
Souna horn | Anh Quang
Percussion | Long Đinh
Electronic Music | Nguyễn Quốc Hoàng Anh
“Ma: Road to Nothingness” is a collaborative project between Len Ngan and the Vietnam Tuong Theater with choreographer Nguyen Duy Thanh. The project is part of the Vietnam Tuong Theater’s program to develop young audiences with a series of events that guide the public beyond the familiar artistic boundaries and approach traditional theatrical heritage in a more creative way. The project’s activities are sponsored and accompanied by the following units: Hanoi Department of Culture, Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter Management Board – Hoan Kiem Ward, Creative Design Festival, Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center – Hanoi Museum
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