Artist Hoang Yen and her journey with dance.

Yen came to dance late in life, so for her, competitions and challenges on the dance floor are opportunities and lessons to hone her skills and become more confident on her future path.

A journey treading on thorns

Yen recounted that, ever since childhood, she had been fascinated by the graceful, toe-toe movements of ballet dancers, captivated by the stories told through body language. However, dancing on stage like those dancers was a pipe dream for Yen, because no matter how much she begged, her parents wouldn't allow her to pursue a career in dance, fearing the harsh realities of this art form; moreover, Hoang Yen had passed her "golden age" for practicing dance.

Then, one time when Yen visited the Nghe An Traditional Arts Center – where her parents worked – while the artists were rehearsing a song and dance program directed by People's Artist Thu Ha, People's Artist Thu Ha, seeing Yen's fascination with the dance movements on stage, said to Yen's mother, People's Artist Hong Luu: "She's so passionate about dancing, she'll surely be able to pursue it." According to Thu Ha, Yen had a relatively favorable physique for dancing; the only thing left was rigorous training, as Yen was already 17, too old to begin. "Hearing those words was like a weight lifted from my heart. I asked my parents for permission to train in dance so I could apply to the Military University of Culture and Arts," Hoang Yen recounted.

Needless to say, Hoang Yen endured countless hardships and difficulties in her journey to becoming a dancer. The pain of having her joints adjusted and her postures refined to be beautiful and precise left her bruised and scratched all over her body. “There were times when I screamed and cried because of the pain from the instructors adjusting my joints. I couldn’t eat or sleep soundly at home. But when my parents asked me, ‘Can you continue dancing?’ I resolutely replied, ‘I still can!’” Yen recalled. This journey, filled with sweat, tears, and even blood, yielded an unexpected success. She passed the entrance exam to the Military University of Culture and Arts with high marks.

During her early years in dance, when talking about Yen, her teachers and classmates always expressed admiration! They admired her because every morning and every afternoon, everyone saw Yen on the dance floor, practicing and practicing, practicing until she was bruised and scratched, forgetting to eat and sleep. But for Yen, that wasn't enough; the thought of how to become an outstanding dancer always burned within her.

Therefore, in 2020, before graduating from the dance program at the Military University of Culture and Arts, Yen was encouraged by her teacher to participate in the Vietnam Dance Talent Competition. This is a competition that any dance student dreams of winning, but not everyone can confidently enter it. Hoang Yen was no exception because she felt she hadn't yet reached the advanced level of dance technique. However, through diligent practice, Yen won the hearts of the judges and experts. “In the same competition as me, there was a younger contestant who also chose to perform the piece "Golden Transformation" by Meritorious Artist Tran Ly Ly, but her technique was very skillful because she had been studying dance since she was 9 or 10 years old. However, with her expressive performance, I was also judged equally well by the judges and we both won second prize.”

For example, at the 2022 Army Games held in Russia, Hoang Yen chose the challenging dance "Matriarchy." This piece required difficult expressions in both movement and performance, but with her confidence and captivating performance, she won second place overall, earning the admiration of international peers and experts.

New levels

Through her work as a teaching assistant, Yen had the opportunity to travel to many places, gaining valuable experiences. “I remember once going to Truong Sa (Spratly Islands), I had to stand on the ship's deck to dance while the ship was still heading straight ahead. The waves were big and the wind was strong, the ship was rocking, but I still stood firm on my toes, continuously moving with difficult dance poses, even though I almost fell many times. That wasn't just the mental strength and technique of a dancer, but it seemed there was some kind of power that helped me perform the dance perfectly for the soldiers to enjoy,” Hoang Yen recounted.

For a military dancer like Yen, performing for the soldiers on the island is not only a duty but also a great honor and a noble mission. Therefore, Yen believes that no matter what position she holds, she must always do her best as a dancer wearing a military uniform. This spirit also guides her towards higher goals in her artistic journey. She continued to register for the Vietnam Dance Talent Competition 2023, with quite thorough preparation. Hoang Yen chose folk-themed pieces that emphasized acting and expressing the character's emotions. These were "Nam Phuong Mau Te" and "Dao Lieu".

In particular, "Nam Phuong Mau Te" is a folk performance art of shadow puppetry from Southern Vietnam. Needless to say, mastering the technique of the tray dance—a technique Yen had never encountered before—was incredibly difficult. Therefore, to achieve the masterful movements in this technique, such as tossing the tray around, spinning it on her feet, and incorporating various body expressions, Hoang Yen had to seek out skilled instructors in this art form to receive the most accurate training.

She traveled south, seeking out the "cradle" of the traditional Vietnamese dance, hoping to learn and master the highest techniques of this dance. "For four consecutive days, at 8 am every day, I had to travel 10 km to study with an instructor at the Ho Chi Minh City Dance College on the techniques of the traditional Vietnamese dance. I barely rested during the entire process, only eating quickly and dozing off a little. At 4 pm each day, I traveled another 10 km to study with another instructor on different movements. But even that wasn't enough for me; as soon as I woke up, I started practicing," Yến recalled.

After dedicating four days to practicing the traditional Vietnamese dance, Hoang Yen had to return to Hanoi to rehearse "Dao Lieu"—a contemporary folk piece drawing inspiration from the Quan Ho folk songs of Bac Ninh. While rehearsing "Dao Lieu" was slightly easier, conveying the profound inner emotions of a Northern Vietnamese girl in the early 20th century required a dancer with immense inner strength: subtlety in movement, and the ability to fully capture the essence and spirit of the character. Yen exceeded her own expectations, winning first prize in the 2023 Vietnam Dance Talent Competition, much to the delight of her friends, teachers, and family.

When honored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the Outstanding Artist of the Year 2023, Yen said that it was a great honor that her efforts had been recognized and appreciated in a deserving way, but deep down she still felt it was a stroke of luck, because she had been able to come to dance, to stand on stage and tell wonderful stories through the language of body.