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Dragon dance is part of the traditional lifestyle of the Hoa (Chinese-Vietnamese)
community. About 440,000 Hoa people live in HCM City, mostly in Cho Lon
in District 5 (Photo: VNA)
The event will feature 30 troupes from the city, neighbouring provinces and
countries in Southeast Asia.
The organiser, the city’s Department of Tourism and District 5, confirmed that
troupes from Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have signed to join the festival.
The festival’s theme is Lan Len Mai Hoa Thung (Dragon Climbs Mountains), a
traditional dance which presents a dragon heading to the highest mountain.
In the dance, a performer jumps from the lowest iron pole, around one metre
high, to the highest one of at least 1.7 metres. There are 10 poles 1-3 metres
apart.
Only skilled artists who have two years of experience in the dance can perform
Lan Len Mai Hoa Thung.
Dozens of performances with kylin heads and other items used in kylin
and dragon dances will
also be featured.
Members of troupes will meet and discuss their performing techniques.
In 2018, 25 professional troupes in the region took part in the 2nd Kylin-Dragon
Dance Festival, which was organised in Van Lang Park in District 5. It attracted
several thousand Vietnamese and foreign visitors.
Mua lan (dragon dance) is part of the traditional lifestyle of the Hoa
(Chinese-Vietnamese), 440,000 of whom live in the Old Quarter, known as Cho Lon
(Big Market), in District 5.
The dance is usually performed during Tet, Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn
festival at opening and groundbreaking ceremonies.
The performers wear costumes in black and white to present the balance of am
(yin) and duong (yang), and a red fabric belt symbolising passion for the
martial arts.
During Tet, they use red clothes to present lucky things. They play different
drums to rock the audiences and they also perform as circus artists.
“Dragon dances of the Hoa in Cho Lon feature a mixture of dance, martial arts
and passion,” said master Luu Kiem Xuong, head of Nhon Nghia Duong, who has more
than 20 years of experience in the art.
The city has dozens of professional dance troupes, including the leading troupes
Nhon Nghia Duong and Kien Thang Duong of Cho Lon with 100-200 performers each.
The 3rd International
Unicorn-Lion-Dragon Dance Festival will
open on April 24.
Source: VNA
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