Meritorious Artist Quynh Thuong: When dance is about commitment

The female artist said that she had been nurturing the work for many years and had reworked it many times because of her perfectionist nature in every scene and every act. For her, each dance piece brought to the stage is the result of a laborious and creative process.

The work has a contemporary feel.

"The Crescent Moon Season" is choreographed as a group dance performance, with dancers embodying the roles to portray the plight of Vietnamese women in the post-war period; their pain, hidden struggles, and even their small, simple joys are fully conveyed through the language of dance.

Artist Quynh Thuong stated: "Dance is a difficult art form to clearly express what the author wants to convey, because it has its own expressive language. If the creator is not meticulous and detailed and does not prioritize popular appeal, the content of the work will not be clear. The greater challenge is that for the work to achieve high artistic value, to highlight the unique characteristics of the dance language, and to portray the character's inner feelings, the creator must harmoniously combine dance language and music."

In this work, post-war women endure the pain of losing their husbands and children, a pain that lingers with them every night, every time they witness a family reunion, every time they feel lonely and need a shoulder to lean on… But above all, they always hope for a brighter tomorrow, and therefore, they always show those around them their efforts, resilience, and positive energy. The author chose the title "The Crescent Moon" to signify that the crescent moon is a sliver of the moon waiting for the day it will become full and radiant…

Furthermore, the crescent moon in the work is not only a metaphor for separation and loss, but also a symbol of unwavering love and faith in a future reunion.

Each stage of the dance performance reflects a range of emotions: from happiness, separation, longing, to resilience in overcoming grief to continue living, hoping, and contributing to the country.

The appearance of the husband's spirit in the dream is a special highlight of the work, showing that although war may take lives, it cannot extinguish the love and sacred connection between the husband and his wife in their beloved home front.

The image of the husband returning in her dreams is also the image that protects, comforts, and strengthens his wife on the home front. These are segments that artist Quynh Thuong believes she meticulously researched with the most intense emotions.

"When I read books, watched many films, and witnessed many real lives, I realized that Vietnamese women are very courageous and resilient. Despite suffering, they always know how to overcome their fate and continue to bring beauty to life. That is also the message I want to convey through this work," Thuong said.

Born in 1988, Quynh Thuong is a dancer who received professional training from a young age. At 13, she was accepted into the dance major at the Military University of Culture and Arts, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her mother, People's Artist Quynh Nhu, former Head of the Military Arts Troupe of Military Region 4, and continue the mission of being an artist who contributes beautiful sounds to life, just as her grandparents and mother had dedicated their entire lives.

She said, "I once dreamed of becoming a teacher, and wanted to do something different from my family's wishes, but perhaps because of my exceptional talent from a young age, and also because of the nurturing family environment, I couldn't resist my destiny with dance. And with the personality of a child who wanted to prove herself, when I came to dance, I always promised myself that I would study hard and strive to acquire the best skills."

Memorable journeys

In 2007, after graduating from dance school and joining the 4th Military Region's Performing Arts Troupe, Quynh Thuong quickly established herself thanks to the techniques honed over seven years. She was entrusted with leading soloist positions by choreographers. From there, she quickly won her first medals, such as the B Prize at the Vietnam Dance Talent Competition and two gold medals for soloists in the entire army.

Quynh Thuong recounted: “To be a good dancer, in addition to technique and skill, the dancer must have extensive knowledge of various character types. Therefore, it requires them to thoroughly study the work before they are about to take on a role. They need to understand the historical context of the character, the setting of the scenes, and especially the depth of the character's expression in the movements. This demonstrates that the dancer has received formal training.”

According to Quynh Thuong, the "training" of a dancer, in addition to requiring skill and technique, is considered a prerequisite: the ability to convey the inner feelings and psychology of the character.

Thuong recounted that when she was cast as Xuy Van, she spent hours in front of the mirror practicing facial expressions and eye movements to capture the character's psychological development. She learned how to feign madness, how to use her eyes and headshakes to toss her hair to achieve the right expression – a type of character successfully portrayed by many actors on traditional stages across various art forms.

Thanks to thorough research and focused training, Thuong has always been typecast into characters that require deep inner emotions.

Thuong said: “A dancer is not a machine, not a tool for the choreographer's expression. Because the choreographer conveys the ideas and content, and the dancer is the one who carries those contents. Therefore, a good dancer is someone who, together with the choreographer, creates great works. If the work is well-staged but the dancer's performance is uninspired, then the work is not successful…”

With a desire to dedicate herself to dance long-term, in 2011, Quynh Thuong expressed her wish to her superiors to study choreography. After passing rigorous exams, Thuong received a scholarship to study choreography for four years in China. During her years studying abroad, Thuong learned many things; she realized that in choreography, the choreographer must be able to execute the techniques and ideas they create.

Thuong recounted: “The first lesson our teachers taught us was about how to stand up and sit down in five different positions. The class only had 23 people, but that one movement alone had over a hundred different variations. It just goes to show how limitless human creativity is.”

From that experience, Thuong realized that, just like actors, choreographers must conduct thorough research on literature, culture, and music based on the content and ideas to create a dance piece; only then should they focus on technique and skill. If the work fails to convey the depth of the story, it can easily fade away and not leave a lasting impression on the audience.

Since graduating as a choreographer, Quynh Thuong has continued to dedicate herself to the Military Arts Troupe of Military Region 4. There, she is always assigned the task of choreographing dance and song-dancing performances for the troupe. In her choreography, Quynh Thuong always prioritizes uniqueness and distinctiveness. This means that for her, art has no place for laziness; each work is a fresh creation, a spiritual child that she has nurtured through countless hardships and struggles to bring to life.

Through diligent and dedicated work, Quynh Thuong has won many prestigious awards: 4 gold and silver medals in individual competitions at all-army art festivals. In 2019, she was honored by the State as a Meritorious Artist; in 2023, she held the position of Deputy Head of the Military Arts Troupe of Military Region 4.

For artist Quynh Thuong, each role brings its own unique experiences. To be able to work alongside the leadership to lead the 4th Military Region's Performing Arts Troupe to continued success, even greater efforts from the troupe's leaders are needed. Therefore, she never allows herself to rest, always setting new milestones for herself to strive for and work towards, because for her, dance is about dedication.

"

Quynh Thuong's medals and awards:

- 2009: National Gold Medal: dance "For Love"; National Young Dance Talent Award (B Prize).
- 2011: National Gold Medal: the dance "The Living Wife Waiting for Her Husband".
- 2018: 2 Gold Medals in the All-Army Professional Arts Festival (Dance performance: 11 Girls of the Perfume River; Song and dance performance: Central Vietnam, the Wall of the Fatherland).
- In 2022, she won the B prize at the Ho Xuan Huong Awards.
- 2023: Gold Medal in the All-Army competition for the performance "The Crescent Moon Season".
- Certificates of commendation from the General Political Department for works that excellently expressed the theme "Learning and following the example, ethics, and style of Ho Chi Minh" in the years 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 (Overcoming the Night, The Communist, City Commando, Tearing Through the Storm).
- 2025: Award A for the dance performance "The Crescent Moon Season" at the Ministry of National Defense's competition for creating and promoting literary, artistic, and journalistic works on the theme of the armed forces.