Focus on performance space to preserve and promote Vi and Giam folk songs
Performance space is the core issue in preserving and promoting the heritage of Vi and Giam folk songs, because it is the environment for Vi and Giam folk songs to be "revived" and developed.
Creating new performance spaces
Over the past 3 years, Nghe An Province Traditional Arts Center has had a programRecreating the old performance space at Ho Chi Minh Square (Vinh City). There, ancient working scenes are recreated, and the folk and folk songs are also performed by artists, helping the audience have memorable experiences. This is shown through the dialogues of “the teacher and the teacher” (the dialogues of intellectuals and scholars). These dialogues not only evoke the ancient cultural space of our people but also inspire artists and writers to write lyrics and participate in the performance.
After 20 nights of performance, the program's Organizing Committee has received valuable feedback. People's Artist Trinh Hong Luu - the initiator of the program said: "The construction and restoration of performance spaces to create an environment for heritage to exist and develop naturally and gradually bring Vi and Giam folk songs back to the community is in line with the goal of preserving folk songs - exactly as the criteria set by UNESCO. And we are on the right path."
Also according to People's Artist Hong Luu: The space for performing folk songs of Nghe An is very rich, such as the space of the fields with the folk songs of the planting ward and the folk songs of the rice fields; the space of the forests and mountains with the folk songs of climbing mountains; the space of working on the river with the folk songs on the river, the folk songs of the ferry...
The uniqueness of the folk songs Vi and Giam lies in their close connection with the space and working environment of the people. The rhythms of the songs are mostly labor rhythms (ho to pull wood, ho to compact the soil, ho to build dikes, ho on the river, etc.). Therefore, listeners not only feel the beauty of the lyrics and voices, but also see in them a whole culture originating from labor and production.
Understanding this, last year, the Department of Culture and Sports organized many times the spaces of Vi and Giam in Vinh City's walking street. Here, old scenes were recreated, such as weaving, spinning silk, or scenes on the wharf, under the boat. Accompanying that were images of betel leaves, the shoulder poles of grandmothers, mothers... In that context, the Vi and Giam verses were performed by the artists very affectionately and uniquely, bringing emotions to the audience.
Present at the performance on the walking street, Artist Nguyen Trong Tam - Vi and Giam Folk Song Club of Hung Tan Commune (Hung Nguyen) said: "Our Vi and Giam Folk Song Club of Hung Tan has performed on many stages and in many different performance spaces, but in one place, the streets, we were able to recreate the old spaces, making the performers feel more emotional, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the performance."
Recently, the Hung Nguyen District Cultural Center has also rebuilt the old performance space to create conditions for young people who love Vi and Giam folk songs to experience. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Ngan - an officer of the Hung Nguyen District Cultural Center said: We have had regular monthly activities for Vi and Giam folk song clubs in the whole district at the Nghe Tinh Soviet Relic Site, where young people can sing Vi and Giam songs in a sacred space, both to enhance the meaning of the cultural space and to help young people have new experiences.
According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Ngan, to have a new performance space, but still associated with the spirit of Vi and Giam, in addition to being associated with the locations, it is necessary to have props, re-staging old scenes but also close to today's life.
Difficult to build ancient performance space
The construction and restoration of performance spaces to create an environment for heritage to exist and develop naturally, bringing folk songs back to the working people, intellectuals, scholars and scholars is in line with the goal of preserving folk songs - exactly as the criteria set by UNESCO.
However, today, the traditional performance environment of Vi and Giam folk songs almost no longer exists. There are no longer villages where silk is spun and weaved, or songs that are carried by boats on the river; nor are there scenes of banyan trees, ferry docks, and communal houses with couples singing Vi and Giam, and exchanging love songs. Instead, there are new performance environments, theatricalizing folk songs from schools to factories, enterprises, and agencies. If in the past there were banyan trees, ferry docks, communal houses, silk is spun and weaved, today we have community activities such as celebrating the Party, celebrating Spring, celebrating important events of the country, etc. The precious thing is that on these stages, Vi and Giam songs still always appear.
Many opinions say that the construction of artificial spaces more or less creates attraction but is not enough to recreate the original space of Nghe Tinh folk songs. Regarding this issue, People's Artist Hong Van - Head of the Vi and Giam Folk Song Club of Ngoc Son Commune, Thanh Chuong District, said that the environment of Vi and Giam Folk Songs is mostly a working environment. The performance space is rivers, mountains, and craft village space. Currently, when we bring folk songs to the stage, we have to artificialize that space to make it look like the old one, which is also a difficult thing for those who work to preserve and promote heritage.
Like the folk song clubs in the localities of Thanh Chuong district, each time they participate in folk song festivals or organize folk song performances to serve the people, the majority of members have to create their own scenes such as weaving looms, spinning silk, or scenes of water bailing with a dipper or a raft. Although these scenes have met the condition of a small space for the participants, they are still artificial scenes.
People's Artist Hong Van
According to People's Artist Hong Luu, in all the annual Vi and Giam folk song festivals, the Organizing Committee stipulates: Each participating program must ensure 70% of original elements in the environments, spaces, and performance forms, including costumes, props, and musical instruments.
However, in contemporary life, Vi and Giam folk songs have separated from their original performance environment and have been replaced by a theatrical environment with directors, costumes, LED screens... Lacking an original performance environment, many famous Nghe Tinh Vi and Ho melodies such as Vi dan lat, Vi tet va, Vi xay gat, Ho keo go, Ho tren song, Ho boi thuyen have also gradually disappeared.
Today's folk songs have taken on the appearance and breath of modern life. They are songs praising the new countryside, propagating the Party and State's policies and laws, etc. The performance space and environment must also be the scenes of today, of current life. Therefore, creating props and spaces is also a way for us to blend folk songs into the contemporary stage.
Ms. Quach Thi Cuong - Deputy Director of Department of Culture and Sports