vietnamese water puppetry behind the scenes

Vietnamese water puppetry behind the scenes full#

You can easily understand it without speaking the same language,' said one spectator. “A culture is revealed through the way of life, the belief, values and also through gestures. Whatever it is, it's self-explanatory to everyone. The scenes are accompanied by narration in Vietnamese, with an English translation available on-screen for some shows. The representations mainly echo the daily activities, customs and traditions passed down from one generation to another, sometimes optimistic about difficulties, sometimes ironic about social ills. The puppeteer, endowed with skill and proven dedication, infuses the dolls with a soul unique to each character. Hiding behind a curtain, the puppeteers assiduously deploy their hands as well as their meticulous care to play the figures. The most typical character is 'Teu', a very young man, in good shape and smiling, who is reminiscent of a typical portrait of a Vietnamese peasant, modest but optimistic. They attract young and old alike, especially with an always warm mood and an allure that is both inspiring and comical. The dolls, on the other hand, are traditional sculptures, made from wood, bamboo and rattan. The success of these shows also owes to perfect coordination between the puppeteers and the traditional orchestra. Based on gestural activities as the language of interpretation, this art, similar to dance, is inseparable from music, which constantly varies according to the piece, but always bewitching. As a result, the background music had to be intense enough to give rhythm to the quivering animation. The shows were initially staged in the open air, on a pond or a village basin. The very colourful shows, staged on the surface of the water, bring to life metaphorical dolls of rural life, peasants and also animals, the characters of legends and folk tales.Ī traditional dance of Vietnamese ethnic groups Inspired by scenes from everyday life, we often find in each session a miniature rural village with communal houses and traditional festivities. This art, which appeared in the 11th century, is closely linked to rice growing in water and is becoming popular in almost all the communities of Thang Long city as well as in artistic troupes from other provinces of Tonkin.

Vietnamese water puppetry behind the scenes full#

It is not a grandiose and sumptuous theatre that awaits you, but rather a friendly aquatic space where figures full of humorous charm will appear. Offering between 4 and 6 performances per day, its activities have undergone considerable evolution while other folk forms are relatively in decline. This place offers you plays 365 days a year, a record recognized by the Asian Records Organization (ARO).Ī typical rural Vietnamese village in miniatureįounded in 1969 in Dinh Tien Hoang Street (at 57b), very close to Hoan Kiem Lake ( Lake of the Returned Sword), with a troupe of 12 puppeteers, the Thang Long theatre has grown steadily and now has around forty puppeteers and an orchestra of a dozen instrumentalists. One of the rare establishments of folk performances that is still on going and very busy. It would be very unfortunate if your stay in Hanoi were deprived of an hour of performances at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.