"If you haven't eaten grilled chicken or watched Thai dancing, youhaven't been to Son La," said one indigenous man in this quiet mountaintown. His sentence summed up the foggy night. In the flickering flames,everyone was a bit intoxicated.
Xoe dances are a unique customof the Thai people, especially in the Northwest region. There areapproximately 30 dances, which serve to express unity, friendship andsharing. All the Thai know how to dance xoe.
Each dance has its own unique features, but they are very simple and easy to learn, so anyone can join the dance.
Lo Van Pien, a local Thai dance master, says the Thai usually performfive xoe dances during each festival. "Some require just a few dancers,while others call for a dozen or more performers," he said.
Thefirst dance is “kham khan moi lau,” an invitation to neighbours todrink rice wine. Women dance around a large jar of alcohol, holdinghandkerchiefs to demonstrate the family's hospitality to their guests.
The “pha xi” is a dance about the four corners of the Earth. Themusic becomes more powerful and animated and men take their places atthe corners to pray for happiness and luck. The dance means "We'll misseach other when we're separated, but we'll always meet again."
Both men and women perform the “lon hon”, which means, "Life is full of ups and downs, but brothers cannot be separated."
Women perform the “nhom khan”, a joyful dance also popular athousewarming parties and weddings. Everyone holds hands in a circle andclaps at intervals during the om lom top mu, a dance about the universeand the solidarity of the community.
The dances have become aspecialty of the northwestern province of Son La, used frequently towelcome visitors. This is due in large part to the work of ExcellentArtist Dinh Cong Pon, a dancing teacher born in Phu Yen District in theSon La mountains.
Pon, who has been a mentor to manygenerations of students in the region and also choreographs traditionaldances in many local events, has made efforts to preserve the custom.Although he is a member of the Muong ethnic group, his love for the Thaipeople's dances penetrated into him so gradually that he was not evenaware of it happening - like groundwater seeping into land, or theriver's silt absorbing water.
Although the traditional dancesof the Thai are mostly for women, who attract viewers with theirflexible bodies, Pon has known how to dance since he was a schoolboy.
"I saw people dancing, then I took an interest and learned how todance on my own, without teachers or classes like young people havetoday," said Pon.
When the teachers of the Vietnam Dance Schoolarrived in Son La to recruit trainees, Pon was a seventh-grader. Hisfriends took the test for the dancing school, and he decided to go alongas well.
"I was just following my friends for fun," he said.
Yet in a twist of fate, Pon was the only candidate who was admitted.
When he told his family he planned to go to school in Hanoi, they were both happy and worried.
"Hanoi is so far," he recalled his mother saying. "Do you know the way to come back home to our mountainous village?"
His own mind was also confused. But when several teachers came toencourage him to go to school so that he could later help the Thaipeople preserve their folk dances for future generations, Pon decided togo to Hanoi.
In his early days in the capital city, everythingwas unfamiliar. But with help from teachers and friends, Pon completedthe course.
After graduating, many of his friends wanted tosettle in southern Vietnam because they thought it was the best place todevelop a career. They asked Pon to go with them, but he refused andinstead returned to his mountain homeland. His family lived there;moreover, he was still determined to preserve the Thai dances.
Pon joined the Ethnic Singing, Dancing and Music Troupe of Son La. Thetroupe travelled to many remote villages to create dance teams. They metelders who knew about Thai dances and helped them make the traditionalart come alive again in the hearts of local people.
Thanks tothese contributions, Pon's reputation spread widely. He was sent by theprovincial authorities to attend the World Festival in the former SovietUnion, where he performed at the Vietnamese-Russian cultural exchangealong with other Vietnamese artists.
He also danced for the soldiers protecting the northern border in the 1980s and gave many performances in Laos.
In 2001, Pon went to work at the High School for Culture, Arts andTourism in Son La as head of the dance group of the school's Faculty ofArts.
"Although my art has turned in a new direction, my lovefor the Thai dances is still in my heart. In fact, this position givesme more chances to pass on my passion to students," he said.-VNA
Xoe dances are a unique customof the Thai people, especially in the Northwest region. There areapproximately 30 dances, which serve to express unity, friendship andsharing. All the Thai know how to dance xoe.
Each dance has its own unique features, but they are very simple and easy to learn, so anyone can join the dance.
Lo Van Pien, a local Thai dance master, says the Thai usually performfive xoe dances during each festival. "Some require just a few dancers,while others call for a dozen or more performers," he said.
Thefirst dance is “kham khan moi lau,” an invitation to neighbours todrink rice wine. Women dance around a large jar of alcohol, holdinghandkerchiefs to demonstrate the family's hospitality to their guests.
The “pha xi” is a dance about the four corners of the Earth. Themusic becomes more powerful and animated and men take their places atthe corners to pray for happiness and luck. The dance means "We'll misseach other when we're separated, but we'll always meet again."
Both men and women perform the “lon hon”, which means, "Life is full of ups and downs, but brothers cannot be separated."
Women perform the “nhom khan”, a joyful dance also popular athousewarming parties and weddings. Everyone holds hands in a circle andclaps at intervals during the om lom top mu, a dance about the universeand the solidarity of the community.
The dances have become aspecialty of the northwestern province of Son La, used frequently towelcome visitors. This is due in large part to the work of ExcellentArtist Dinh Cong Pon, a dancing teacher born in Phu Yen District in theSon La mountains.
Pon, who has been a mentor to manygenerations of students in the region and also choreographs traditionaldances in many local events, has made efforts to preserve the custom.Although he is a member of the Muong ethnic group, his love for the Thaipeople's dances penetrated into him so gradually that he was not evenaware of it happening - like groundwater seeping into land, or theriver's silt absorbing water.
Although the traditional dancesof the Thai are mostly for women, who attract viewers with theirflexible bodies, Pon has known how to dance since he was a schoolboy.
"I saw people dancing, then I took an interest and learned how todance on my own, without teachers or classes like young people havetoday," said Pon.
When the teachers of the Vietnam Dance Schoolarrived in Son La to recruit trainees, Pon was a seventh-grader. Hisfriends took the test for the dancing school, and he decided to go alongas well.
"I was just following my friends for fun," he said.
Yet in a twist of fate, Pon was the only candidate who was admitted.
When he told his family he planned to go to school in Hanoi, they were both happy and worried.
"Hanoi is so far," he recalled his mother saying. "Do you know the way to come back home to our mountainous village?"
His own mind was also confused. But when several teachers came toencourage him to go to school so that he could later help the Thaipeople preserve their folk dances for future generations, Pon decided togo to Hanoi.
In his early days in the capital city, everythingwas unfamiliar. But with help from teachers and friends, Pon completedthe course.
After graduating, many of his friends wanted tosettle in southern Vietnam because they thought it was the best place todevelop a career. They asked Pon to go with them, but he refused andinstead returned to his mountain homeland. His family lived there;moreover, he was still determined to preserve the Thai dances.
Pon joined the Ethnic Singing, Dancing and Music Troupe of Son La. Thetroupe travelled to many remote villages to create dance teams. They metelders who knew about Thai dances and helped them make the traditionalart come alive again in the hearts of local people.
Thanks tothese contributions, Pon's reputation spread widely. He was sent by theprovincial authorities to attend the World Festival in the former SovietUnion, where he performed at the Vietnamese-Russian cultural exchangealong with other Vietnamese artists.
He also danced for the soldiers protecting the northern border in the 1980s and gave many performances in Laos.
In 2001, Pon went to work at the High School for Culture, Arts andTourism in Son La as head of the dance group of the school's Faculty ofArts.
"Although my art has turned in a new direction, my lovefor the Thai dances is still in my heart. In fact, this position givesme more chances to pass on my passion to students," he said.-VNA
